KINGSTON, Jamaica — With Jamaica continuing to rank among the most corrupt annually by global corruption watchdog Transparency International, local monitoring agency National Integrity Action (NIA) says it is time the country moves out of that rut.

According to the just released Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2020, Jamaica scored 44 out of 100 and ranks 69 out of 180 countries. For 2019, the country scored 43 out of 100 and ranked 74, while for 2018 it scored 44 out of 100 and ranked 70 out of the 180 countries.

The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and territories from zero to 100 — zero being highly corrupt, 100 being very clean — by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business people.

Yesterday, Professor Trevor Munroe, principal director of the NIA, said while Jamaica has moved marginally up and down over the years it has “remained in the absolutely unsatisfactory situation of being among the most corrupt, especially at a time when we need to make sure that every dollar counts”.

Pointing out that Jamaica has continued to “tread water beneath the surface of integrity” the NIA principal said “CPI 2018 saw us stagnant at score 44; CPI 2019 showed slippage to 43 and now CPI 2020 has Jamaica’s score marginally improved to 44, with 68 countries performing better than us, including comparable CARICOM states — such as Barbados, Bahamas, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Lucia, Dominica, Grenada — which all score above 50. Indeed, in the Caribbean, only Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana and Haiti score less than we do”.