Free, independent media crucial in fight against corruption -TIGIA free and independent media and reasonable access to information are indispensable tools in the fight against corruption.This is the view of President of Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI), Anand Goolsarran,Cheap MLB Jerseys China, who yesterday presided over the announcement of the 2013 Corruption Perception Index for Guyana.From left: TIGI Director, Esther Mc Intosh, President, Anand Goolsarran and Vice President Frederick CollinsFrederick Collins, Vice President of TIGI made the formal announcement and told members of the media and other officials that Guyana remains at the bottom of the list, ahead of only Haiti as the most corrupt in the region.According to Collins, the finding on Guyana is based on surveys carried out by four reputable international institutions – the International Country Guide, the World Bank, the World Economic Forum and the Global Insight Country.He announced that Guyana has been ranked 136 out of 177 countries, joining Bangladesh, Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Kenya with a score of 27. Guyana was ranked 133 last year.In terms of the Americas, Guyana has been ranked 28 out of 32, while for the Caribbean, only Haiti scored lower, with 19.Among those in attendance for the announcement at the Pegasus Hotel were Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader,NFL Jerseys Supply, Khemraj Ramjattan, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)’s Carl Greenidge,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, Attorney-at-Law Gino Persaud and Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, among others.According to Goolsarran,NFL Jerseys Clearance, “corruption affects the soul of the nation, it is cancerous, it destroys the social and moral fabric of society.”The TIGI President stressed that corruption is an unethical and immoral act, and a criminal activity that is facilitated by greed, vague, archaic and cumbersome rules, state intervention, undue exercise of discretionary powers, bureaucratic behaviour, and weak institutions.Goolsarran said too that corruption results in the misallocation of scarce resources and areas that are in genuine need of development assistance are overlooked in preference to those that offer the greatest rewards for the corrupt.“Investor confidence is shaken, and countries in dire need of foreign investments are deprived of it… As a result,Cheap Jerseys From China, international flow of goods, services and capital is affected, and investment ratios deteriorate.”He added that as a result of massive corruption, professionals and other decent-minded citizens tend to migrate to the more developed countries to seek employment opportunities and a better way of life.“There is therefore a brain-drain with the concomitant spiraling effect of not having the relevant skills to effectively manage the operations of government…In short, high levels of corruption result in the perpetuation of weak governments.”He suggested that tackling corruption effectively, would involve citizens’ participation and involvement in public decision-making.Goolsarran said that when this happens, there is the collective responsibility for actions taken, and allegations of corrupt behaviour are likely to be minimized.“Decision-making must not only be transparent but must also be seen to be so.”He suggested too that there must be a limiting of the use of discretionary powers since it tends to produce decisions that are skewed, inconsistent and lacking in uniformity.“The corrupt will always seek to exploit the use of such powers for their personal benefit,” Goolsarran said.