Opposition deals Regions 7, 8 a resounding slap in the face

– after taking their votes to make up one-seat majority

OLD Kai knew that it was just a matter of time before communities and regions which largely supported the political Opposition in the last elections would begin to feel the effects of their authoritarian nature.
In all fairness to the AFC and APNU, they did warn all Guyanese early in 2012 that in their mindset, we were all just ‘collateral damage’.Now fast-forward to 2014, where the Opposition is proposing the introduction of an amendment to the Anti-Money Laundering law, whereby “police and customs officers will be given the power to stop and search persons, and if such persons are found with $2 million worth of currency or more, that currency can be seized, and the persons arrested if the police or customs officer has reasonable suspicion that it is the proceeds of some serious offence or the subject of money laundering.”
Further, we are told by the Attorney-General, Mr Anil Nandlall, that currency is defined in the Legislative Act to include jewellery and precious metals.
Clearly, a majority of the population who traditionally invest their money in jewellery and keep their small savings at home will become potential targets with this outrageous proposal of the opposition’s. But more specifically, there are certain demographics which stand to be affected more than others, and where their way of life and future economic viability will be seriously threatened.
With this in mind, residents and businesses operating in areas such as Regions 7 and 8, which are traditional gold and diamond-mining areas, will no doubt begin to grasp the dangers of such a proposal by the APNU, which the AFC has not seen fit to oppose.
Millions in cash and gold change hands every day in these regions; in fact, this is primarily what has spurred the growth of communities such as Bartica in Region 7 and Mahdia in Region 8, along with a number of other smaller communities.
Sadly, the one-seat combined majority which their supporters, including those from these areas, gave them at the last elections will now make it possible for the Opposition to use that leverage and approve such a dangerous proposal, which will have severe consequences on these very people.
We have all heard the old saying, “You scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours too”. Well, our Opposition has slightly altered it, with their supporters in mind, to “You scratch my back and I’ll stab you in yours”.
Now, almost any and everyone in these gold-mining areas will be subject to stop and search, from the dredge operators and small-scale miners to the buyers, traders and shopkeepers. Once you have $2M worth of gold or cash on your person, or in your home or business, you are automatically a target.
People in these regions will now have to decide if they will stay quiet and allow another assault on their communities, similar to the cutting of funding to improve interior airstrips by the Opposition in the 2013 budget, or their opposition to the efforts by the PPP/C Government to provide transportation services to take students in the hinterland to school.
Then there is the Opposition’s assault on the LCDS project which, in almost every aspect, seeks to empower and preserve the way of life of those in our hinterland. And how could we forget their cutting of the Presidential Grants to Amerindian communities or the Solar Panel project!
Why is the opposition so bent on preventing our citizens in the hinterland from benefiting from any initiative by the PPP/C Government, but yet they go into those communities and lament how enough is not being done to develop these areas?
These citizens will now have to decide if they wish to remain silent and allow the continuation of these Opposition-orchestrated assaults against their communities, or make their voices heard, loud and clear. This is not a battle for the PPP and the PPP/C Government to fight alone; the entire nation needs to get behind President Donald Ramotar and his Administration and take a stand against the destructive policies of the AFC and APNU.
Old Kai has also noticed that the man who was in charge of our economy in the 80s when it sank to its worst levels and is now the Opposition’s chief spokesperson on matters of finance, is peddling his misinformation in the media.
APNU Member of Parliament, Carl Greenidge, is quoted in the Monday, February 24, 2014 edition of the Stabroek News as saying that the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)’s adviser, Roger Hernandez told a parliamentary committee on Friday that the requirements for anti-money laundering legislation are only a “floor”, and that the country is free to amend the law in order to strengthen it beyond what exists.
However, in another section of the media, Demerara Waves, on Friday, February 21, the very Greenidge was dismissive of the position of the CFATF’s expert, in that the proposals profferred by the Opposition could pose greater risks. According to the article, “…when told that the CFATF official said it was best to go ahead with the government-sponsored amendments, Greenidge said that would be unacceptable. ‘That is Mr. Hernandez’s opinion; that is for him to express. But we are not going to accept his opinion.’”
Such is the deceptive nature of the Opposition, and this clearly exposes their modus operandi in treating with an issue of national importance.
But it does not end there, as the article tells us that the CFATF expert has warned against the Opposition proposals, in that if APNU’s proposed amendments were taken on board, there are two perils: some of the amendments that have been put forward deal with previous areas of the Act that were deemed compliant. “The concern that we have is that the amendments being put forward may make those areas that were formally compliant, non-compliant. There is a risk with that,” Hernandez is quoted as saying.
This is what the Opposition wanted. They clearly ran out of time to provide justification as to why they were deliberately stalling the passage of the anti-money laundering amendment, so now they have come up with amendments, which will conflict with our existing legislation, knowing fully well that the Government will be in no position to support them as they run counter to our Constitution.
The Opposition, in turn, will accuse the government of not wanting to compromise as their justification of our failure to pass the amendment and Guyana being fully blacklisted.
Old Kai and all Guyanese can easily see through this sinister plan by the AFC and APNU, so know that we will hold you 100% accountable should this become a reality!