| …APNU/AFC still want changes Finance Minister,Le Veon Bell Michigan State Jersey, Dr Ashni Singh, says that the government is willing to return the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill to Parliament before the November 18, deadline,Len Bias Maryland Jersey, provided it receives a commitment from the political opposition that it will be supported in its current form.Finance Minister,Keith Appling Michigan State Jersey,Dr Ashni SinghBoth A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) have rejected this notion saying that their concerns still need to be addressed.APNU’s David Granger said that the coalition can provide no such commitment, given that there are still a number of deficiencies in the law that need to be addressed.He said that APNU cannot return the Bill to Parliament given that it is a Government Bill but upon its return it will be sent to the Select Committee.Granger told this publication that the Opposition is willing to miss the November 18 deadline given that there is no guarantee that Guyana will not be blacklisted.He said that Guyana has been in default for a number of years now.Granger told this publication that passage of the amendments suggested by the Caribbean Financial Action Taskforce (CFATF) will not guarantee that the country will not be blacklisted given that the international body was more interested in enforcement rather than just passage of the amendments.Granger said that he cannot recall any prosecutions in Guyana related to Money Laundering. Further it was only last Thursday that there has been any report to the House by the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).Despite the more than 800 reported suspicious transactions,Miami Hurricanes Jerseys, Granger said that there has been no evidence of these being investigated or prosecuted.He added that many of the submissions by stakeholders such as the Guyana Bar Association and Director of Public Prosecutions would have been ignored and as such wants the Bill recommitted to the Special Select Committee, so that the Guyanese people can benefit from a proper Bill.AFC Vice Chairman, Moses Nagamootoo,Sean Taylor Miami Jersey, said that the AFC will not budge from its position.He was adamant that the Bill has to be returned to the Special Select Committee to be properly refined.Asked about the prerequisite of having the Public Procurement Commission in place before pledging any support for the Anti Money Laundering Amendments,Malik Monk Kentucky Jersey, Nagamootoo said that this still stands.He reaffirmed that the party will only be supporting the establishment of the Committee under the current legislation. It will not be supporting the recent amendments tabled by the Finance Minister.Dr Singh, on Thursday,Tim Hardaway Jr. Michigan Jersey, tabled an amendment to the procurement Act meant to preserve the role of the Cabinet in giving a no objection as it relates to the awards of contracts.The Finance Minister by way of a public statement yesterday maintained that the AFC and APNU must be held responsible for the consequences of the failed Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill.He said that many of the consequences have already been discussed at length including the severing of international ties to local banks, the increased bureaucracy for money transactions, the possible increase in fees, commodities and fuel to the public.According to the Finance Minister, over the past six months Government representatives to the Select Committee scheduled 17 meetings in consultation with the Opposition.“They took the position to be absent, refused to reconvene meetings promptly and when they finally made it to the meetings,Lamar Jackson Louisville Jersey, they made little use of the time and refused to work the much needed long hours for the good of Guyana.”He said that the Joint Opposition therefore has a responsibility and obligation to the people of Guyana to justify their sluggish and lackluster attitude towards doing the job they have been duly elected to do by the people of Guyana.“This kind of callous,Memphis Tigers Jerseys, thoughtless and detached behaviour by the Joint Opposition towards its electorate is not new as they continue to sabotage Guyana’s development…Their attempts to cut our National Budget are a prime example of their strategy to destabilize Guyana’s economy at all cost.” |
