– Nandlall, Edghill expound on economic consequences
THE parliamentary vote Thursday night on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill, will now see Guyana still attempting to make a case to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).

This was according to Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh at a media briefing in the Committee Room at the Public Buildings soon after the vote.
According to him, the body meets in a plenary session on November 18, and Guyana’s delegation, led by Attorney General Anil Nandlall, will now be in a position to outline that real attempts were made to have the legislation passed.
Singh bemoaned the actions of Opposition Members of Parliament and called the vote an “explicit display of abuse” of the one-seat majority in the House.
“Right now the private sector will tell you that their businesses are affected and this Opposition refuses to listen….refuses to recognise the seriousness and gravity of the situation,” he said.

The minister said Thursday night’s vote was the workings of the new dispensation of power in the National Assembly at its worst.
He pointed out that the new dispensation, the 32-33 divide in favour of the Opposition, was heralded by some as an opportunity for Guyana, while others called it a cause for caution and concern; the latter has manifested itself in the vote.
“We have had many examples of the tyranny of one…today is a dark day in parliamentary life,” he said.

STAKEHOLDERS IGNORED

Singh made it clear that every national stakeholder that has expressed support for the passage of the AML/CFT bill was ignored with the defeat of the legislation.
“The only persons who don’t recognise the merit of the bill are the 33 opposition MPs,” he said.
He added that the records of the six months of debate on the bill will show clearly the government’s diligent pursuit of its passage and the Opposition’s equally diligent pursuit of its delay.
According to him, the Opposition is seemingly interested in taking Guyana to a troubling precipice in the ease with which they inflicted “economic sabotage” on Guyana.
He underscored that Guyana’s most troubling economic times were under the stewardship of Carl Greenidge, the MP who led the charge to defeat the AML/CFT Bill.
Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill, in his remarks, echoed similar sentiments and expressed concerns over the views of the majority of stakeholders in Guyana being ignored.
“What they have said is I don’t give a damn,” he said.
Edghill stated that the Opposition cannot plead ignorance on the issue, nor on the impending timeline, a constraint that Guyana was working with.
“One has to ask, whose interest are you protecting in killing this bill…it could not have been workers….it could not have been the private sector….the Opposition must be forced to name whose interest they are supporting,” he charged.
In his view, the vote indicates and intention to make the government look bad “at all costs” and not acting as an Opposition should – to keep the Government in line with the representation of the people’s interest being the foremost consideration.

NO REAL ARGUMENT
The AG, adding his bit, maintained that the Opposition proffered no real argument to justify their non-support.
The Alliance For Change’s (AFC) grounds for non-support was an exchange, where they would support the bill if the government advances legislation that would address the establishment of the Public Procurement Commission.
According to the Nandlall, APNU MPs’ attempts to push to have the bill recommitted to a Parliamentary Select Committee was unmasked by speakers on the Government’s side.
“Their bluff has been called,” he said.
Nandlall stressed that Guyana now has a parliamentary majority that no longer represents “anything that is good” for Guyana.
He inferred that the only interest that could be served with the rejection of the AML/CFT Bill is that of money launderers and terrorists.
“Where does the Opposition stand,” the AG questioned.
He added that the vote was another “nail in the coffin” for Guyana.
The AG pointed out that the impacts will affect everything from remittances, which will have an increased burden of verification, to the operation of banks on the international market, already being seen with the pull-out by the Citi-Bank group in Guyana.
The three officials concurred that Guyana’s being blacklisted is almost certain, as a letter from CFATF stated that if Guyana is not found sufficiently compliant, CFATF will instruct its member states to take precautions to safeguard themselves from the risks emanating from Guyana.

(By Vanessa Narine)