Scott takes aim at ‘masquerading’ cooperatives

–says movement will be rebirthed

SOME $445.301M have been allocated for the restructuring and reorganisation of cooperatives, as Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott, vows to go after ‘masquerading’ organisations.

Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott
Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott

Rising to make his contribution to the 2016 debate, Minister Scott said co-ops had been paralysed under the former administration, but this Government will put an end to the years of neglect.

“A small team of individuals with an aggregate of over 100 years of experience in co-operatives and the management of co-operatives has been put in place, with effect from February 1, to conduct a forensic audit of the co-operative function throughout the country,” he said.

The minister is convinced, inter alia, that the audit will advise on the crafting of policies designed to repair the numerous breaches and create an entity capable of advancing national development. A key and critical aspect of the aforementioned audit is a determination of the number of active and functioning co-operatives in existence.

“We believe that there are certain organisations out there (that are) masquerading as co-operatives when in fact their main purpose is the given efficacy to illicit activities within the realms of money laundering. Indeed, sir, we have recently commenced, and intend to continue, training; and conduct awareness sessions in anti-money laundering and countering financing in terrorism for personnel in the co-operative sector,” he said.

During the latter half of 2015, a total of 65 such sessions were held, not only centrally and in Region 4, but in other regions as well. Mr Scott told the House that it was for this reason that the new focus will include the decertification of non-functional co-operatives, astute monitoring of those functional, and “arbitration in disputed cases, all in compliance with relevant legislation, including the Anti-Money laundering Act.”

He reported that, just two weeks ago, officers in the Labour Department attended an in-house seminar, the facilitators of which included a competent attorney-at-law and the Chief Executive Officer of the State Assets Recovery Unit (SARU), who sensitised the participants on their roles in the protection of the State.

In addition, he said, the Ministry will work with the Board of Industrial Training, the Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) Council, Kuru Kuru Co-op College and the Critchlow Labour College to position co-operatives on the front burner, where it will once again play a meaningful part in the grand scheme of national development.

The refurbished Cooperatives Department will ensure the formation of co-operatives as serious economic and business entities in all ten administrative regions.

“Even in the remotest parts of our country, co-operatives will once again emerge and breathe afresh again,” Minister Scott opined.

The department will also explore and take every advantage of any opportunity to engage strategically with the Ministry of Business for marketing services and other economic purposes; work closely with the Lands and Surveys Department so that the access to lands for economic ventures can be pursued; and resuscitate the thrift societies in schools.

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