“…projects have been so mired and clouded in darkness and lack of information that we don’t know anything about a lot of the projects in which taxpayers’ dollars are being pumped into”With the issue of corruption on the front burner, APNU+AFC candidate James Bond has accused the current administration of playing a big part in Guyana’s corruption, while PPP/C candidate Clinton Urling opined that evidence must be shown.The war of words was fought during the radio programme Hard Talk which was broadcast on Sunday.During the programme, Bond opined that corruption is not only rampant in Guyana,Wholesale Jerseys, but is being facilitated by the government of the day.Bond said that over the years, corruption has been frequently reported. However, he said, in most cases no one is jailed or criminally prosecuted. Noting Urling’s popular demand to “show me the evidence”, Bond likened the statement to that of a rape case where elements, such as proving penetration, is necessary.“The People’s Progressive Party/Civic, they have admitted there’s corruption and it smacks of naivety – the statements emanating from my learned friend that, if you have the evidence, show me the evidence,NFL Jerseys China,” Bond said.However,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, though Urling admitted that corruption is indeed present in Guyana, he maintained that evidence must be present to prove this corruption.“People can make accusations against anyone…those allegations have to turn into empirical facts.? You’ve got to argue on facts and not just focus on anecdotal evidence. The focus ideally should be on what is any government doing to curb corruption; it is important and critical in moving forward,” he said.Bond further said institutions must be in place to crack down on corruption, even if it is at the highest level.“Even Presidents can be investigated. If a President is corrupt, who investigates him? You have to ensure that you have institutions in place to investigate that sort of stuff,” he said. He went on, “We need structural change; we need real solutions.”He pointed out that enhancements were needed in the judicial system, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Guyana Police Force. He emphasised that laws needed to be in place to curb corruption. “Show me the institutions, show me the law,” he maintained.Urling pointed out that in the PPP/C’s manifesto a number of steps have been outlined to curb corruption. These steps include the creation of stronger penalties for persons guilty of taking bribes and a safe place for persons who are interested in reporting corruption. He emphasised, “we need to move away from assumptions to evidence and facts and stop trying to hoodwink the nation with sound bites and the like.”Urling also opined that the PPP/C government, which has been in power since 1992, has over time improved the current systems to curb corruption.“No government is perfect and sometimes things have to be done in a phased approach; this PPP government from 1992 has made significant improvements in transparency and accountability measures,” Urling said.However, Bond maintained that though the evidence is present, the government lacks transparency and accountability. “Those are things that are missing from the People’s Progressive Party Civic,” he added. He further said that the Government of Guyana deprived the institutions that could detect corruption. Therefore, he accused the government of being complicit in every single act of corruption.“In every single ministry there is corruption and if we’re going to say show me the evidence then I’m saying, you’re not ready to assume leadership of this country,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online,” Bond said. He continued,NFL Jerseys China Cheap, “These projects have been so mired and clouded in darkness and lack of information, that we don’t know anything about a lot of the projects in which taxpayers’ dollars are being pumped into,” Bond said.Bond insisted that there were a number of instances where the government of Guyana should have launched investigations into matters. In particular,Jerseys From China, he noted the NCN scandal, along with the borrowing and replacing of money by Attorney General Anil Nandlall.“No country that I know that practices good governance encourages lawlessness by public officials,” Bond added.