By: Staff Writer
April 25, 2023
The World Justice Project newly released “Corruption in the Caribbean Report,” shows majority believe public officials in the region are corrupt, with cronyism, or, elected officials Influencing the career advancement of their friends or relatives on the basis of patronage instead of merit ranking the highest in all of the metrics covered with The Bahamas and Suriname ranking the highest in the region.
Cronyism is deeply embedded in Western societies and Caribbean countries, by extension are Western societies, are built off of the former colonial patronage that goes back to the days of empire and monarchies where the Crown vested lands and grants to the Lords and Barons that were close to them.
This system shows up very starkly in the WJP’s report on the Caribbean as the regional average on cronyism is 83 percent believing that influencing the career advancement of their friends or relatives on the basis of patronage instead of merit is widely acceptable. The Bahamas scored 92 percent and Suriname scored 91 percent. Additionally, 74 percent of people, on average, believe politicians frequently use public resources to benefit their own family.
Of the actors associated with the public sector, political parties and members of the national legislature are perceived as frequently involved in corrupt practices by a majority of respondents. On average, 66 percent of respondents in the Caribbean believe that all or most people working in political parties are engaged in corrupt practices, and 55 percent believe the same about members of the national legislature. Perceptions of involvement in corrupt practices are lowest for public school teachers 18 percent, doctors and nurses in public hospitals 20 percent, and land registry officers 28 percent.
Conversely, people in Antigua and Barbuda along with Grenada reported the lowest percentage of experiences with public sector bribery, at less than 1 percent, while 19 percent of respondents in the Dominican Republic and Haiti reported having to provide a bribe, gift, or favour within the last 12 months. Jamaica 17 percent and Guyana 16 percent) also had similar rates of public sector bribery.
“When perceptions of corruption are pervasive, public trust in government institutions is undermined, and the rule of law is weakened,” said Elizabeth Andersen, executive director of the World Justice Project.
“Corruption compromises the flow of resources to support public safety, health, and education and denies people fair access to opportunities,” she added. “Combatting corruption is an important objective for governments, the private sector, and civil society organizations around the world.”
The findings in the Corruption in the Caribbean report expand upon data contained in the 2022 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, which measures absence of corruption as a key rule of law factor for 140 countries around the world. The Index relies on nationally representative household polls and expert surveys. The new Caribbean report publishes additional insights drawn from the household polls in Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.