(Guyana Chronicle)MEMBERS of the AFC and APNU were a “no show” at Tuesday night’s subcommittee meeting on the AML/CFT, following a brazen walk out at a previous meeting the night before.

Dr Ashni Singh, Minister of Finance

The meeting which was scheduled to begin at 17:15 hrs was attended by all four Government representatives which included the committee’s Chair, Gail Teixeira. According to reports, the committee waited for 30 minutes for the Opposition members to arrive, but they never showed. As a result, the committee proceeded with the meeting which lasted approximately three hours.

Minister of Finance, and subcommittee member, Dr. Ashni Singh, said the actions of the Opposition once again demonstrates their blatant disregard and disrespect towards the citizens of Guyana and members of Parliament.
“Since last year, when this bill was first introduced to Parliament, the Opposition, by their own actions made it unequivocally clear that they intend to destroy Guyana at all costs,” said Minister Singh.
“In the words of the PNC’s late leader, Desmond Hoyte, this is ‘Executive lawlessness’.”
The Finance Minister chided the Opposition for walking out of the meeting and their eventual non-attendance of the meeting. He said such actions are all part of the Opposition’s continued delaying tactics to derail the work of the committee.
“They have no respect for the Constitution, the National Assembly or the citizens of Guyana. They do as they please, when it is convenient to their needs and without consideration for the implications of their actions on the nation,” Dr Singh contended.
According to him, the Opposition, particularly the APNU, through its actions seem to want to take Guyana back to pre-1992 when Guyana’s economy was in shambles.
“The current leadership of the APNU were all members of the leadership of the PNC when the party managed the decimation of the private sector, the Banishment of the entrepreneurial classes in Guyana, and the acquisition of Guyana’s status as a pariah state in the international investment community,” Dr Singh recalled.
“They destroyed Guyana’s economy then and are now seeking to do so again, even when they are no longer in office,” he added.
Parliament will meet on Monday to debate and vote, for the second time, on the AML/CFT bill in another last-minute effort to ensure that Guyana complies with the February 13th deadline as prescribed by FATF.
Should Guyana fail to see this AML/CFT bill passed in the National Assembly, the consequences will be similar to those already instituted by CFATF.
Requests for excuses were received from two members of the APNU. The current configuration of the Committee are four representatives from the PPP, four from the APNU and one from the AFC.

“Last year, when this bill was first before the Parliament and the special select committee, the Opposition haphazardly attended meetings and eventually their true position was expressed when they vote against the bill knowing full well that Guyana was going to be blacklisted, should we fail to comply with the CFATF requirements,” said the Finance Minister.
He further noted that Government has publically committed to making itself available to meet as frequently and as long as is required to complete the work of the committee so that Guyana can be removed from the blacklist and enjoy the privileges associated with being a CFATF and FATF-compliant nation.
“To date, we have not seen on paper any concern or recommendations of the APNU,” said Minister Singh. “If they wish to propose amendments, they must have a document that they can present to the nation, as is the norm in Parliamentary procedure.”
The minister explained that the APNU, in particular, has had months to prepare some form of a proposal, but has failed to do so to date.