Georgetown : The Ministry of Home Affairs assured citizens that the information collected on the I Paid a Bribe website will be used to promote improved governance systems and procedures, tighten law enforcement and regulations and thereby reduce the scope for corruption in obtaining services from the Government.
A press release issued by the Ministry stated that the information placed on the ipaidabribe.gy website is not meant to name and shame any public official nor is it intended to be used for criminal prosecution; as such citizens using the site can do so anonymously.
The release also indicated that as with the other I paid a bribe websites, ipaidabribe.gy aims to heighten citizen awareness about the nature and spread of bribe related activities and promote a public debate that pressures public officials to reduce and eventually eliminate corruption.
The website is also focused on helping citizens to recognise, avoid and tackle bribe paying situations. It would additionally identify and analyse the workflows within corruption prone public services; make suggestions on systemic reform directed at entrenching simpler and more transparent processes, more consistent standards of law enforcement and better vigilance and regulation.
The Home Affairs Ministry explained via the release that Guyana’s I paid a bribe website (ipaidabribe.gy) is patterned after similar initiatives in countries such as India, Kenya, Greece, Pakistan, Ukraine and Zimbabwe. The original I paid a bribe concept was developed by the Janaagraha Centre for Citizenship and Democracy of India which sought to tackle corruption by harnessing the collective energies of citizens.
This philosophy of engaging citizens in the fight against corruption has been embraced by the Ministry of Home Affairs with the belief that by providing such a forum, Guyanese of all walks of life can join the debate on corruption within society.
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