Canadian corruption whistle-blower Allan Cutler says changing the culture was more important than laws in the fight against corruption. He stressed the point yesterday, during his presentation at a one-day anti-corruption conference, organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Transparency Institute at Hilton Trinidad and Conference Centre. The conference focused on several issues, including whistle-blower protection legislation, integrity legislation and political funding. Cutler was the whistle-blower who exposed the so-called "sponsorship scandal" in Canada. In his presentation, he advised newly-appointed chairman of the Integrity Commission Kenneth Gordon that he would never be able to effectively deal with corruption in T&T unless and until the culture was changed.
He said corruption was everybody's business and each citizen had a critical role to play in its elimination. Cutler said changing the corruption culture was more important than changing the laws. He said if the culture was changed, the law might become more effective. Earlier, another speaker, Betrand de Speville, an adviser on anti-corruption policy, spoke of the need for the T&T Government to deal with outstanding corruption issues. He said the vast majority of people questioned in an opinion poll previously had said they wanted outstanding matters in T&T dealt with. He said the Government must take another look at his recommendations submitted to it in 2003 with a view to effectively dealing with the issue of corruption in T&T.
