GOVERNMENT has reportedly organised and is carrying out outreaches to various communities so as to apprise people about, and ensure the passage of, the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill.Speaking at the usual post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, in Georgetown yesterday, Presidential Advisor on Governance, Ms Gail Teixeira, said: “We have had very good meetings in Mahaica and Lusignan, and will have more this weekend and next week. We believe that that would be a way of informing the public and allowing them to ask questions.”
Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, told the Guyana Chronicle a few days ago that the meetings are intended to be a continuation of the Government’s consultative efforts with respect to the amendments which are proposed by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
Nandlall said, “We believe that they (the Opposition amendments) will affect the life and welfare of the people of this country in a very significant way in terms of their (the people’s) ability to carry around cash and jewelry; and therefore they ought to be consulted and fully apprised.”
Nandlall pointed out that the people of Guyana are accustomed, in transacting their business, to have in their possession cash and jewelry in a free manner. The AG said, “There is now an attempt to deprive them of that freedom. We believe it is our duty, as a Government, to ensure that we inform the people about this denial of their freedom, as well as who is responsible for this.
“We also intend to continue to inform the citizens of our country of the importance of having this Bill passed unamended as quickly as possible, so as to insulate Guyana and its citizens from the devastating sanctions and repercussions which will follow if the Bill is not passed; and to inform them who are obstructing the Bill from being passed, and the basis, as well as reason, for such obstruction,” Minister Nandlall said.
Already, town hall meetings have been held in Linden, Berbice and Bartica, with residents of these communities voicing their outrage at the proposals put forward by the APNU.
On February 28 last, Guyana missed a deadline to submit a report to the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) showing that it has been able to correct several deficiencies. This now means that Guyana is in a position where it has not presented to CFATF anything different from what was deliberated on in November, at which forum it had been said that unless these changes are made to the legislative structure, Guyana will be recommended for subjection to a Financial Action Task Force/International Cooperation Group Review.
The Bill has been in limbo for now about 11 months, with no support from the APNU, which recently came with two proposals, not to the actual bill, but to the principal act. Those amendments are currently in their drafting stage.
Various other stakeholders across Guyana, including the Private Sector Commission, the National Competitiveness Council, and religious bodies, have been calling for the passage of the Bill, as Guyana now faces a greater risk of being blacklisted internationally.
By Telesha Ramnarine