Rampant corruption in Gov't, police force - Anderson poll

A MAJORITY of Jamaicans believe corruption is rampant in the society with the Government, the police force and the prisons heading the list of areas where they believe the problem exists.

At the same time, very few Jamaicans feel the Government is doing enough to fight corrupt practices in the country.

These findings are contained in a poll conducted on behalf of The Gleaner Company by Don Anderson and his team of researchers from Market Research Services Ltd. The survey involved interviews of nationally representative samples of 1,000 persons, aged 18 years and over in all parishes of the island. The poll was conducted between August 14-28 and has a sample error of plus or minus 3.2 per cent.

In one of the survey questions persons were asked to indicate which sectors of the society they perceive there was corruption. Of the respondents, 79.8 per cent felt there was corruption in Government; 67.6 per cent believed corruption existed in the police force; and 45.2 per cent viewed the prisons as corrupt.

Those who felt corruption existed in Government were mostly males, younger persons and members of the upper-income categories of the population. The respondents who felt that there was corruption in the police force were drawn from various social and economic backgrounds, but this view was particularly dominant among persons in the upper-income sections of the population.

The justice system as well the governing People's National Party (PNP), the Parliamentary Opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the minority opposition National Democratic Movement (NDM) were all seen as institutions where corruption existed.

Other notable areas mentioned by the respondents include the Customs Department, the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF), both the public and private sectors, local government and the church.

Some 83.6 per cent of the respondents felt the Government was not doing enough to stamp out corruption in the society. This view was shared by persons across various social and economic backgrounds. On the other hand, some 15.6 per cent of respondents felt the Government's programmes to deal with the problem were good and are likely to yield results. Of those who felt the Government was doing enough to root out the problem, 35 per cent of them came from upper-income groups.

The matter of corruption has been a hot topic of discussion in Jamaica, with many holding the position that the problem has spread its tentacles throughout the society.

To deal with the problem, Parliament earlier this year enacted the Corruption Prevention Act, which requires that all public servants make annual declarations of their assets. This is aimed at turning the spotlight on public employees or those who sit on Government boards as a means of preventing them from engaging in corrupt practices.

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