Transparency International Department of the Americas Report on Visit to Jamaica, September 15 to September 20, 2009 Alejandro Salas, Director ZoĂŤ Reiter, Programme Coordinator
Transparency International Department of the Americas Report on Visit to Jamaica, September 15 to September 20 Submitted November 18, 2009 Transparency International, the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, brings people together in a powerful worldwide coalition to end the devastating impact of corruption on men, women and children around the world. TI’s mission is to create change towards a world free of corruption. Transparency International challenges the inevitability of corruption, and offers hope to its victims. Since its founding in 1993, TI has played a lead role in improving the lives of millions around the world by building momentum for the anti-corruption movement. TI raises awareness and diminishes apathy and tolerance of corruption, and devises and implements practical actions to address it. Transparency International is a global network including more than 90 locally established national chapters and chapters-in-formation. These bodies fight corruption in the national arena in a number of ways. They bring together relevant players from government, civil society, business and the media to promote transparency in elections, in public administration, in procurement and in business. TI’s global network of chapters and contacts also use advocacy campaigns to lobby governments to implement anti-corruption reforms. Politically non-partisan, TI does not undertake investigations of alleged corruption or expose individual cases, but at times will work in coalition with organisations that do. TI has the skills, tools, experience, expertise and broad participation to fight corruption on the ground, as well as through global and regional initiatives.
Introduction At the invitation of Dr. Trevor Munroe, Chair of the National Integrity Action Forum (NIAF) of Jamaica, and with travel support from USAID, two officials of Transparency International (TI), Alejandro Salas, Director of the Americas department, and Zoë Reiter, Programme Coordinator of the Americas department, carried out a field mission to Kingston, Jamaica in September. The aim of the mission was to share knowledge about systemic risks and challenges to good governance in the country as well as to report on TI’s approaches to fostering good governance and national integrity. Two key components of the mission were 1) a one-hour presentation by Alejandro Salas to the NIAF on September 17th, outlining both key corruption challenges in Latin America and 2) TI’s bilateral meetings with key reformers in the country, private sector leaders, as well as international organizations working in the country. Mr. Salas also gave two interviews to the Jamaican print and radio press which were highly featured in the media. Appendix A includes a list of meetings and interviews held. Appendix B includes the presentation made by Mr. Salas at the NIAF session on September 17th.
Participants at the NIAF session, September 17 The following report summarizes key findings that resulted from those meetings and includes recommendations for promoting a multi-stakeholder platform for strengthening good governance and integrity in Jamaica.
Meetings Held and Key Issues Discussed: From September 15th through September 19th, Mr. Salas and Ms. Reiter met with several key reformers in the Jamaican government and civil society to discuss both key corruption issues facing the country as well as ways in which TI may be able to help efforts to address those issues.
Trevor Munroe introduces TI to Greg Christie Key Corruption Challenges: The meetings with key reformers in Jamaica consistently highlighted several key issues facing the country that weaken good governance. The two most urgent issues discussed were: o Extensive drug and arms trading and associated gang operations which fuels corruption (through bribery, extortion, payoffs, etc.) and insecurity; and
o Lack of transparency and accountability in political finance, which facilitates influence peddling by elites and corrupt economic interests. Combined, these two conditions suggest a clear and present danger of state capture1 in the country. Moreover, the extra burden of paying bribes, which amounts to a “corruption tax,” affects major investment and hinders economic development. Key Opportunities: Despite the challenges, there are several factors that favor sustainable anticorruption efforts in Jamaica. First of all, there is widespread recognition among the government, civil society and donor community that corruption is a key challenge facing the country and that corruption and crime in Jamaica are mutually reinforcing phenomena, which seriously undermine good governance efforts. Among the wider population, there is considerable demand for action to reduce corruption, which is essential for generating the political will to support genuine change. For example, in a 2008 Latin American Political Opinion (LAPOP) survey by Vanderbilt University of 22 countries in the Americas, to assess the percentage of residents who perceive corruption as widespread in their country, Jamaica topped the list. Over 85% of the population perceived corruption as widespread. Promisingly, the study also showed a significant decrease in the percentage of the population willing to acquiesce to bribery in 2008 (39%) as compared to 2006 (57%). A July 2008 Don Anderson poll found that "too much corruption" was the second most significant problem in Jamaica, next to crime and violence. Equally important, there is an increasingly organized and highly skilled set of reformers in Jamaica dedicated to tackling corruption issues through meaningful and effective approaches. However, linkages between government reform efforts and civil society efforts need to be fostered in order to generate on-going and better-informed demand among various sectors of the public and more generally for anti-corruption reform. The development of a TI chapter in Jamaica is broadly welcome and could help ensure sustainable anti-corruption reform. The NIAF has done an invaluable job of laying the ground-work for such a chapter, creating an unparalleled environment that brings together the country’s key stakeholders and reformers to work collectively and constructively around the issue. The political will and public support that the NIAF has generated bodes well for a civil society “spin off” that capitalizes on those trends.
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TI defines state capture as “A situation where powerful individuals, institutions, companies or groups within or outside a country use corruption to shape a nation's policies, legal environment and economy to benefit their own private interests.”
Recommendations for Steps Forward: Medium and Long-term Recommendations: In the medium and long-term, develop a TI national chapter that seeks to: -
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Generate increased and more educated demand among the general public as well as particular sectors, especially the private sector, for anticorruption efforts. A chapter is essential to promoting and sustaining demand from citizens for the generation of successful anti-corruption efforts on the public agenda. Without that demand, anti-corruption efforts lose one of their key drivers: political will. Strengthen linkages between Jamaican civil society and government reformers working on these issues. Support government and CSO anti-corruption efforts in Jamaica by linking them more immediately and effectively to the global anti-corruption movement in order to benefit from and contribute to the vast array of technical expertise and experience embodied by the TI movement. Boost development cooperation agencies and other international organizations’ efforts by supporting their programs and coordination, generating economies of scale and knowledge sharing. Help develop specific strategies that target both grand corruption and petty or administrative corruption.
Short-term Recommendations: -
In the short term, carry out multi-sectoral workshops in Jamaica around specific areas in which TI has globally-recognized expertise and Jamaican reformers have identified a demand: e.g. public contracting, access to information, political finance, corruption and accountability risk mapping; public and private sector integrity indicators and instruments; and household corruption surveys, among others.
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Conversely, raise awareness globally, via hosting of international fora and improved communication strategies, of some of Jamaica’s most successful reform strategies in order to help establish strong international support for Jamaica’s reform efforts.
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Through good communication and advocacy help build the business case for being “clean”. Help private sector actors and public servants/politicians to identify the right incentives.
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In designing adequate anticorruption strategies, pay close attention to the balance between the demand and supply sides of anticorruption. Whistleblower laws, hotlines, and other mechanisms need to have a strong justice mechanism to penalize the guilty. Otherwise, impunity prevails and increases the risk of citizen disillusion with anti-corruption efforts.
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Coordinate efforts and strategies of the different international organizations providing good governance support in Jamaica to avoid overlapping and to maximize resources and potential for impact.
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It will be important to decide if the creation of a TI National Chapter comes out of the NIAF process, which will give it legitimacy and will help to protect the reformers involved. This will also give sustainability in time to the efforts and investments started by the NIAF.
It is expected that these efforts will help provide the necessary backing in the short and long term to Jamaica’s highly talented and courageous reformers for sustained and effective anti-corruption and good governance efforts. Moreover, we also expect that Jamaica’s successes in this area will provide the foundation for leadership to promote good governance and reduce susceptibility to crime networks in the Caribbean as a whole. In other words, there is a real opportunity here for Jamaica to serve as a regional engine of reform. In sum, the creation of a TI Chapter will give sustainability and continuity to the current investment and efforts of the NIAF. The support of USAID as well as other donors will be essential to creating a strong chapter.
Appendix A Visit to the National Integrity Action Forum (NIAF) – Jamaica Alejandro Salas, Regional Director for the Americas and Zoe Reiter, Programme Coordinator, Americas Department, Transparency International Programme – Tuesday, 15th September – Saturday, 19th September Tuesday, 15th September Wednesday, 16th September
Thursday, 17th September
Friday, 18th September
September, 19th September
7:00 PM, Dinner briefing with Professor Trevor Munroe, Director of National Integrity Action Forum 6:30 AM – 7:00 AM, Radio Interview – Newstalk 93 FM, Breakfast Club 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM, Meeting with President, PSOJ – Mr. Joe Matalon (PSOJ Headquarters). 11:00 AM – Noon, Meeting with the Commissioner of Customs – Mr. Danville Walker (Terra Nova Hotel) 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM, Meeting with the Contractor General – Mr. Greg Christie 4:30 PM – 5:30 PM, Meeting with the Chairman of the Electoral Commission of Jamaica – Professor Errol Miller (Terra Nova Hotel) 9:00 – Noon, 3rd Presentation to Quarterly Meeting of NIAF 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Meeting with Chair, Jamaicans for Justice – Dr. Carolyn Gomes (Hotel Terra Nova) 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Newspaper Interview, The Gleaner 10:00 – 11:00 AM, Meeting with British High Commissioner for Jamaica Jeremy Cresswell Noon – 2 PM, Debriefing Lunch with NIAF Director – Professor Trevor Munroe 3 PM – 4 PM, Meeting with USAID Deputy Director Sean Osner; USAID/COMET Civil Society Specialist Sherine McKenzie. Report – Observations and Recommendations
Appendix B Presentation by Alejandro Salas, Director of the Americas, Transparency International