| Government denied that it dragged its foot on critical anti-money laundering legislation that has to be passed before this month end. It said yesterday that the piece of legislation was being addressed all along.Yesterday, Cabinet Secretary Dr Roger Luncheon, also accused the Opposition’s threat to block support as nothing more than a back door to force general elections.Dr. Roger LuncheonGovernment is facing a race against time for the National Assembly to pass the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML & CFT) Amendment Bill 2013. But the Opposition-controlled House, two Tuesday’s ago, sent it to a Special Select Committee, leaving not much time for it to be considered, sent back to the National Assembly and be debated and passed before the May 27 deadline.Already, the largest faction in the opposition, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU), has said that timeline is difficult and work will not be rushed.Failure to have the Bill passed could see Guyana blacklisted for not doing enough to combat money laundering and stopping the financing of terrorism. Neither the government nor the Opposition, which includes APNU and the Alliance For Change (AFC), are budging from their positions.APNU said on Thursday that Government knew since 2011 that new legislations had to be passed yet waited almost to the last moment before introducing it.The 10-party Opposition APNU believed that Government, because of its failure to ready Guyana for the legislation, is evidence that the Bill is not serious.The legislation strengthens the AML&CFT with improved measures to address enforcement. It will better equip Government to prosecute persons believed to be involved in drug and other illegal activities and who are using the proceeds to finance legal businesses (money laundering).AFC has said that it will consider backing the Bill if President Donald Ramotar reverses his decision not to assent to two opposition-tabled Bills.But according to Luncheon during his weekly press briefing yesterday,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, Guyana has been working with the Caribbean Financial Task Force, with Guyana being evaluated in 2010 and even a workshop being held earlier this year in which the Opposition participated.For the Opposition to claim that no work was being done by Government is rather surprising, Luncheon stressed.The Opposition now has the responsibility to rise about the “political fray”, he said.Failure by Guyana to have the legislations in place could see the “full weight of sanctions” being brought down on Guyana.The government official explained that lending agencies and other donors are using the measures taken by countries to assess them in their fight against drug trafficking and money laundering.He also made it clear that the relationship with Guyana’s partners including the US, Canada, the European Union and the United Kingdom would immediately be impacted and could see support being enjoyed “unraveling”.Other countries that have faced similar deadlines to have the legislations in place have passed them, he said.According to Dr Luncheon, there are elements in the Opposition who want to remove the administration at all costs, even at the cost of making Guyana a pariah state.APNU’s Joe Harmon said Thursday that the bloc would not be rushing the amendments that are being considered by the Select Committee.“APNU wishes to make it very clear that we will not shirk our responsibility, for careful scrutiny of the amendments to the legislation before the Special Select Committee, on the altar of expediency. We will continue to work diligently, but are of the view that this is an emergency of the Government’s own making.“Therefore, any failure to meet a deadline of 27th May, 2013, lies squarely on the shoulders of the PPP/C Administration.”APNU said that it is convinced that Government is attempting to create a situation where it could tell the Nicaragua meeting that the Opposition is to be blamed for Guyana not being ready.CFATF is an organisation of 29 states of the Caribbean Basin, which have agreed to implement common countermeasures to address the problem of criminal money laundering.It was established as the result of meetings convened in Aruba in May 1990 and Jamaica in November 1992.Countries, if they want to continue borrowing and be eligible for grants, are mandated to implement sweeping measures to track illicit monies. |
