NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Some 90 percent of respondents in The Bahamas who participated in a survey on corruption said they believed that public officials “very frequently” or “frequently” influence the hiring of friends or relatives in the public sector.
The findings were highlighted in the World Justice Project’s Corruption in the Caribbean 2022 report.
The World Justice Project is an independent, multidisciplinary non-profit group whose stated aim is to “advance the rule of law worldwide” focused on 14 nation’s including The Bahamas in its recent report. Sampling, fieldwork, and data processing in The Bahamas was conducted by DMR Insights Limited, which is based in St. Lucia. The interviews were conducted face-to-face between June and August 2022, with respondents from 500 households.
The report revealed that 89 percent of respondents believed that public officials “very frequently” or “frequently” influenced the award of government contracts to friends or relatives, while 62 percent held the view that public officials frequently requested money or gifts for public services that should have been provided for free.
The report also revealed that 92 percent of respondents believed that elected representatives in The Bahamas frequently influenced the career advancement of their friends or relatives on the basis of patronage instead of merit and 91 percent held the view that elected representatives and politicians “very frequently” or “frequently” influenced the award of contracts to companies and individuals close to them.
According to the report, 83 percent of the Bahamians interviewed believed that political parties are involved in corrupt practices. The report also revealed that 49 percent of respondents felt the same way regarding officers working in the national government, with 48 percent of respondents holding the same view of officers working in local government.
Forty-eight percent of respondents also believed that the news media is involved in corrupt practices, while 33 percent held that view of judges and magistrates.
Forty-six percent of persons surveyed also held that belief that members of the armed forces engage in corrupt practices.
Loading ...
