Franklyn: Tackle corruption at all levels

“We cannot legislate for others and not for ourselves!”

Such was the assertion made by Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn, as he made his contribution in the Senate recently on the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Terrorism Agency Bill, 2021 which was later passed.

Senator Franklyn suggested that much more must be done to address corruption in Barbados, which takes place at varying levels, from the very bottom to the top. As such, he queried whether the new agency proposed to tackle corruption will also be investigating matters surrounding how politicians are elected and the level of expenditure associated with local elections in some instances, whilst stressing that corruptions laws cannot only apply to those further down the ladder.

“The rain must fall on the just and the unjust. So I hope when this legislation gets the nod and is proclaimed, that we see an independent director general who asks for no favours and gives none, but does his or her job as the case may be,” Senator Frankly meanwhile asserted.

He added, “As I said, I have no difficulty in trying to stamp out corruption, because this place is getting like Sicily, there is corruption all over the place.

“We need to look at the levels of corruption in this place, because as far as  I can see, this place is absolutely corrupt. As a trade unionist, I go to represent people and the next thing you hear, I am offered hotel rooms, dinners. I have been offered money to not push the case hard enough. And poor me, I am poor, so people think that that might catch me, but that might catch some other trade unionists, but it will not catch me. But the fact that a fella was bold enough to offer it to me [says a lot],”  Senator  Franklyn further commented.

He stressed, “If I want lobster, I am going to buy it or do without, so you have to be careful. Corruption isn’t only taking big sets of money.

“So I am happy that we are trying to take some action, but I think you are doing it differently than I would. I am not going to say that you are wrong. I would just say that I would do it a different way,” he said of the proposed legislation.