–? Canadian High Commissioner“Countries that condone or do not have effective preventive measures in place to stop corruption will find that the investors who are ethical and conscious of their global image will choose to not invest.”- David DevinePresident Donald Ramotar yesterday went on the offensive against western diplomats and other critics of his government saying their actions help to create the negative images of Guyana that sometimes detract investors.Ramotar was speaking at the opening of the Guyana Investment Conference at the International Conference Centre, which was mainly organised by the diplomats.It was the Canadian High Commissioner, David Devine, who used his speech to address corruption. He said the insecurity that is created by unwillingness or an inability to enforce laws and regulations is considered by many investors to be the single greatest impediment to the decision to invest.President Donald Ramotar enjoys a joke with businessman John Willems at the opening of the forum.One of the goals of the two-day investment conference is to?outline the impact of bribery and corruption on investment and discuss international best practices.“Countries that condone or do not have effective preventive measures in place to stop corruption will find that the investors who are ethical and conscious of their global image will choose to not invest. There still may be investment deals; however these deals may be accompanied by uncertain terms that will not offer the same integrity and commitment to the country and its peoples,” Devine stated.President Ramotar picked up the Canadian High Commissioner on his talk of corruption.He repeated earlier statements admitting that there was corruption, but not as it is portrayed by others. To back up his case, he pointed to revelations in TV programmes organised on state television as his benchmark for determining the extent of the problem.Ramotar said that in seven programmes, no case of “strong, entrenched” corruption was established.“We are ready to do it again for anyone who is doubtful. We?are ready to talk and to be very open on all of these subjects,” he stated.The President said that what is not recognised is all the procedures and processes the current PPP/C government have put in place?to fight corruption in Guyana. He said that before there was no tendering system, but now “all our tenders are published openly.”Ramotar said that even the so-called “secret deals” have been advertised in the very newspapers that sometimes “repeat this nonsense”. He said that repetition of “some of these things” is what helps to manufacture and engineer the perception of corruption.The Canadian High Commissioner said investors pursue investment opportunities in locations where practices such as child labour, bribery and corrupt practices are seen as social ills that have no place in business dealings.He said that the investment conference was a necessary start to discuss best practices to help Guyana to forge its own investment path. He urged that the dialogue take place in a constructive manner.“This forum should not be seen as an opportunity to play the blame game or to gain political points, but rather to discuss Guyana’s investment realities and to identify a roadmap for the way forward,Nike Free Run Shoes Clearance,” the Canadian High Commissioner said.President Ramotar accused diplomats of overstepping their boundaries and taking positions without prior consultation. On this front, he blasted the United States government for downgrading Guyana in its annual Trafficking in Persons report.He said Guyana was on Tier 2 last year, but was this year placed on the Tier 2 Watch list. According to Ramotar,Nike Air Max 97 Silver Bullet, the country had done nothing differently and so he could not understand how it was downgraded. He said that year after year the report fails to take into account?Guyana’s realities.“Year after year, the report is inconsistent with its method?of ranking our country. The report fails to take into account the reports and facts Guyana submits,” Ramotar stated.“Here again we see how subjective and unfair positions?can harm the reputation of our country. Reputation is important in attracting investment.”Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh (left) and Canadian High Commission David Devine in conversation after the opening of the Guyana Investment Conference.President Ramotar also used his speech to take a swipe at the U.S government on revelations by former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden of its secret surveillance operations.“We have a free and open society. We do not interfere in people’s privacy. We do not read their mail or anything like that. That is an era I hope that is past forever in our country,” Ramotar stated.The Investment Conference is a multi-stakeholder collaboration with several partners including the High Commission of Canada