Go after the big fish
Published:Wednesday | March 23, 2011 | 12:00 AM
USAID director points local police to corrupt officials in top posts
Arthur Hall, Senior Staff Reporter
Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in Jamaica, Dr Karen Hilliard, has urged regional law-enforcement agents to go after corrupt public officials despite their position.
Addressing the opening of the first Regional Law Enforcement Anti-Corruption Conference in Kingston yesterday, Hilliard made it clear that it was no longer enough for law-enforcement agencies to go after the small fish while the big fish are swimming free.
Hilliard noted that recent efforts by the Jamaican Government and the police to address corruption have reaped some success but she warned that this was not enough to change the perception of most Jamaicans about the level of corruption locally.
"All of us in government service must be mindful that we cannot and will not regain the confidence of the average man until the law applies equally to everyone and that not only the humble but also the powerful can be charged and prosecuted for misusing public office for private gain," Hilliard said.
She pointed to a recent USAID-funded poll showing that most Jamaicans believe public officials are very corrupt.
Hilliard warned that people who believe that corruption is widespread are less likely to have the values and attitudes that support a stable democratic government.
Trust declined
She noted that the poll also found that trust in several public institutions, particularly the police, had declined sharply over the past four years.
But Hilliard was quick to point out that the poll also found a sharp decline in the number of Jamaicans who reported that they had been asked for a bribe by public officials.
"Jamaica has one of the lowest victimisation rates in the entire hemisphere and it is right in there with states that will normally think to be more developed - Uruguay, the US, Chile and Canada."
According to Hilliard: "This is a significant change and one which Jamaicans can be proud of."
She said the reduction in the number of public officials requesting bribes shows that change is possible in a short amount of time.