‘MOST GAMBIANS BELIEVE CORRUPTION IS WIDESPREAD’
A new corruption perception index released by anti-corruption civil society group Gambia Participates, has revealed that 90 percent of Gambians believe corruption in the country is widespread, with a large percentage of them holding the view that government cannot address it.
Weak trust in gov’t to fight corruption
According to the index, 75 percent of people believe the government lacks either the will or the action to fight corruption effectively, with only 18 percent of respondents trusting institutions to act on corruption cases. Trust in government fighting corruption is lowest in Kanifing, 8 percent, Brikama 12 percent but higher in Mansakonko, 39 percent and Kuntaur, 30 percent, according to the index.
Corrupt institutions
According to the survey, 62 percent of respondents believe there is a high prevalence of corruption in public institutions, with the Gambia Police Force emerging as the most corrupt institution in the country as perceived by 74.18 percent of the respondents, the GPF is followed by public health institutions at 68.45 percent, Gambia Revenue Authority GRA 62.81 percent, Local Government Authorities 62.44 percent and Nawec, at 61.50 percent.
Least corrupt institutions
Institutions perceived to be moderately corrupt are Education, Agriculture, Petroleum, Gambia Ferry Services, Immigration and Gambia Civil Aviation Authority.
Personal experience with corruption
Meanwhile 41 percent of respondents said they personally experienced corruption when accessing public service in the form of bribes, gifts or favour, while 40 percent said they have witnessed public officials offer special treatment to citizens due to personal, family or political connections, and 23 percent saying they have seen or witnessed someone avoiding punishment or receiving impunity due to connections.
Root causes
Meanwhile 49 percent of the people believe corruption in the public sector is caused by low salaries, while a smaller number believe it is driven by weak enforcement.
Recommendations
Gambia Participates recommend that government establish and strengthen the Anti-Corruption Commission, close procurement loopholes and reform accountability institutions, take action on reported corruption cases and improve salaries and working conditions. They also called on the government to strengthen whistleblower protection as well as launch secure hotlines, portals and community scorecards to fight corruption.
Background
This is the first country-specific index ranking of ministries, departments, agencies and state-owned enterprises on transparency and anti-corruption performance.
The index is constructed using weighted components reflecting a key dimension of corruption measurement and respondents were asked about their general perception of corruption, personal experience with corruption, level of corruption in public institutions and transparency, accountability and reporting mechanisms.
Source: The Standard
