GEORGETOWN Mayor Hamilton Green said, on Tuesday, he is “now aware” that the Anti-Money Laundering Bill is tied to Local Government Elections.
He made the declaration at a City Hall press conference, emphasising the Council’s call for local government elections, given the fact that he and other councilors have failed to cooperate with acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba.
The AML Bill, to meet the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) requirements, was tabled in the National Assembly in April 2013 but referred to a Parliamentary Special Select Committee and, eventually, voted down by the combined Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance for Change (AFC), in November, 2013.
The Bill was retabled in December, 2013, and again sent to the same Committee, where it has been for more than 12 months.
However, the Bill’s passage has been linked to several other conditions being called for by the combined Opposition.
The main opposition party, (APNU) is also demanding that President Donald Ramotar assents to several Bills passed in the National Assembly, including the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill, 2013, which states that the polls must be held on or before August 1, 2014.
His explanation
The Head of State has already forwarded his explanation for his non-assent to the National Assembly.
The Mayor, in his quest for the vote to be held, said he is not aware that the APNU had made demands through which it sought to link the passage of the Bill, directly to Local Government Elections.
Green also accused the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) of creating the “problems faced in Georgetown,” claiming it is afraid that the 27 percent votes secured at the last such elections will further be reduced.
But General Secretary, Clement Rohee, at his last Monday press conference, denied that the PPP is to blame for the much delayed local government elections.
“The PPP is not responsible for not holding elections. The PPP was the first to call for local government elections a couple years after we got into office in 1992. We did that, but a series of things were initiated, constitutional reform and so many other things that led to where we are today,” he said.
(By Ravin Singh)
