Latest update January 19th, 2025 4:45 AM
EITI not a foolproof mechanism
- Complementary anti-corruption measures still needed – National Director
G-EITI National Coordinator, Rudy Jadoopat
Guyana will soon be looking to its forthcoming membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) to be a beacon of transparency and accountability when it comes to the extractive sector.
However, local experts are cautioning that the citizenry should not run away with the idea that EITI is all that is needed to guard against corruption in this sector.
According to the National Coordinator of the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (G-EITI), Rudy Jadoopat, complementary anti-corruption measures will still be needed to prevent the recurrence of the wanton abuse of Guyana’s resources.
Jadoopat said, “I would not venture into providing recommendations for complementary measures. I believe that the Government and other important bodies should have the say where that is concerned. But my main point is that we need to change the perception that EITI alone will stamp out corruption. It will not.”
“What EITI will do is provide greater transparency into the sector; a kind of transparency and honesty that has been absent for some time. It will bring the media and civil society groups deeper into the conversation about what is going on with their resources and what the Government is collecting in exchange for it. For years, the citizenry has been denied such an opportunity and a right.”
The G-EITI official added, “EITI will also ensure that companies and governments can be held accountable for their actions. There will be evidence of this in the public domain which will be in the form of an EITI report. This report will be prepared by a Multi-Stakeholder Group.”
With the details of the report, Jadoopat said that citizens will be more equipped with the knowledge they need to participate in discussions and debates at a national level.
He insists that EITI will in the end; bring invaluable benefits to the transparency process in the extractive sector. He reiterated, however, that this measure cannot and should not be left alone to shoulder the responsibility of being “the beacon of accountability” in the extractive sector.
EITI is a widely-accepted international framework for strengthening transparency and accountability in the extractive sector. Adherence to, and implementation of, EITI as part of a menu of good governance measures, is important for Guyana’s economic and social development.
The initiative requires governments in participating countries to disclose revenues earned and that oil, gas and mining companies share data on payments made. These figures are then compared to discover any discrepancies, and the information made public as a way to foster public scrutiny and greater accountability over natural resource profits earned by governments.
To do this, a Multi-Stakeholder Group (MSG) comprising representatives of government, civil society and industry is formed to facilitate and drive the process. The Multi-Stakeholder Group is central to the operation and philosophy of the EITI.
Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, recently stated that great progress has been made with regard to identifying the members for the MSG.
The politician stated, “Support has been received from the World Bank and from the Carter Center so we made great strides. However, I must say that we were unable to identify up until the end of last year, a candidate to become the EITI coordinator. So that is necessary so that we can establish a secretariat.”
The Minister added, “We did have several rounds of interviews and there is a likely candidate. We expect that the person will be appointed. Once that happens, the application to the secretariat in Norway can proceed, because all the other necessary parts would be in place. So we have made significant progress.”
At the time, Trotman said he could not recall the names of the members of the individuals on the MSG. He directed this newspaper to speak with Michael Mc Cormack, a human rights activist in charge of the policy forum that selected the civil society representative.
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