THE GOVERNMENT’S focus on two national issues of tremendous importance for the peaceful economic and social development of Guyana were clearly highlighted on Friday when, separately, further high-level attention was given to the urgent need for parliament’s approval of the anti-money laundering and combating terrorism bill, as well as tough, systematic action to beat back the forces of criminality.It is of significance that President Donald Ramotar chose to have this twin focus by his administration highlighted on the eve of Guyana’s 44th Republic Anniversary as if to dramatise the government’s determination to remove all obstacles to continued national development.
Consequently, in addition to a special meeting involving Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; the chair of Parliament’s Select Committee, Gail Teixeira and other key advisers and a top official of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF), Roger Hernandez, President Ramotar opted to conduct a special meeting on crime and security with Police Commissioner, Leroy Brumell, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud, Commander of ‘A’ Division George Vyphius, and presidential adviser, Gail Teixiera.
The CFATF’s adviser has been working closely, over a period of months, with the Guyana Government and parliamentary opposition to help ensure correct provisions are made in the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill. This time around for his latest visit to Guyana, he has publicly made it quite clear that amendments offered for the legislation by APNU (Alliance for Partnership for National Unity) are quite “risky.”
APNU’s leader and his colleagues like, Carl Greenidge, should therefore, make serious efforts to remove the identified “risky” changes they have submitted so that Parliament’s Select Committee could be ready with the final draft for approval and save Guyana from the looming international “blacklisting” as a state under watch for conducting financial business.
How much longer the opposition coalition of APNU and the AFC intend to engage in self-serving politics that have the ultimate effect of blackmailing not just the government but the nation of Guyana?
So far as the mind boggling acts of criminality are concerned, with recurring manifestations of horrifying execution-style and other forms of murder, as well as the rising brazen cases of armed robberies and rape. We could only hope that whatever decisions were made at the meeting conducted by President Ramotar with the top brass of the Guyana Police Force, would result in significant new initiatives to effectively arrest the frightening criminal epidemic.
Perhaps the time has come for phased implementation of a state of emergency with blanket searches for arms and ammunition as part of the new drive to use legal means to end the reign of armed killers and robbers now terrifying Guyanese across this nation.