– Committee to meet one day before deadline
THE Opposition continues to employ its delay tactics by proposing three amendments to the AML/CFT Bill that the National Assembly’s legal drafters deem impossible to draft based on the vagueness of the recommendations.The vague recommendations were submitted to the Committee for consideration the night before the Bill was scheduled to be tabled in the National Assembly yesterday, leaving the Committee in limbo.

QUOTE: This refusal by the Opposition to proceed with the amendments on which there is agreement and which would have addressed the CFATF recommendations discloses the true intent of the Opposition all along, which is to frustrate passage of the Bill beyond the deadline with the aim of jeopardizing Guyana’s economy and thereby bring hardships on the Guyanese people.

According to Minister of Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, in a press release, Government therefore proposed that the Committee conclude its work on those aspects of the Bill that addresses CFATF recommendations and on which there is no disagreement. This would have secured passage of the Bill while the Committee continues to examine and consult on the other amendments proposed by the Opposition.

The Opposition refused to accommodate this suggestion and voted against proceeding with the clauses on which there is agreement and which would have addressed the CFATF recommendations. Instead the Opposition insisted that the Committee be adjourned until the drafters can produce a draft of the Bill based on their instructions, thereby effectively making it impossible for the Bill to be passed by Thursday’s deadline.

BRINGING HARDSHIPS
This refusal by the Opposition to proceed with the amendments on which there is agreement and which would have addressed the CFATF recommendations discloses the true intent of the Opposition all along, which is to frustrate passage of the Bill beyond the deadline with the aim of jeopardizing Guyana’s economy and thereby bring hardships on the Guyanese people.

It should be noted that over the course of this week the Committee met to complete its mandate but its work was obstructed by the Opposition’s walk out last Tuesday and their absence the following day, Wednesday. At last Friday’s meeting only two members of the APNU attended the meeting, while leader of the AFC Kemraj Ramjattan was absent all week.

In addition to their marked absence during that critical week, last Tuesday they objected to have the Private Sector Commission observe the Committee meetings, as they objected to having the Private Sector Commission’s petition read in the National Assembly on November 7 last year when the bill was first debated and rejected by the Opposition’s one majority vote.

The Committee is scheduled to meet again tomorrow to conclude its report. Government is once again appealing to the APNU and the AFC to act in the interest of the people of Guyana and work with the Committee to complete its work and ultimately pass the AML/CFT Amendment Bill with the urgency it currently dictates.