…Region 2 residents declare at Anna Regina meeting

REGION 2 residents are insisting that fresh general elections be held if the embattled Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) (Amendment) Bill is not passed in the National Assembly as soon as possible.

They have taken this position after hearing, over the past several months, the parliamentary opposition parties’ various demands in exchange for their support for passage of this vital piece of legislation.

Speaking at a meeting at the Anna Regina Town Council, one resident recommended a countrywide picketing exercise to register the nation’s disapproval of the way the matter is being politicised by the political grouping A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) and by the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Another resident testified to the difficulties he personally experienced in receiving remittances, and also expressed concern that the non-passage of the bill might affect parents’ ability to send financial support in a timely and cost-effective manner to their children who are studying abroad.

A pastor who spoke on behalf of the religious community said that, with Guyana being named a non-compliant jurisdiction, serious repercussions could be visited on the various churches that are recipient of financial aid from similar international organisations.
Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh urged residents and regional officials of the various political parties to speak to their leaders, since their views can, and should, be able to influence or inform the decisions taken by those leaders.
Minister Singh said certain issues must be placed above partisan politics, and the AML/CFT Bill is one such issue.

He alluded to the united position taken by the Parliament of Belize, the only other regional country besides Guyana that had been blacklisted by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF) in November last year, and explained that the Belizean Parliament passed the required legislation, effectively reconciling differences that had led to the country being blacklisted by CFATF through a conscious decision to work together in the interest of the nation.

“We have an Opposition that is saying that ‘we will not vote for this legislation unless you give us what we want in exchange’…it is almost like saying ‘I’m holding a gun to your head, and if you do not give me what I am insisting that you give me, I will pull the trigger’. That is essentially what is going on here,” Minister Singh declared.

He also explained in great detail the dire consequences that can follow if the AML/CFT Bill is not passed in a timely manner. The consequences of being blacklisted will not only affect every sector in the country, but will impact the lives of all Guyanese, he said.

Minister Singh noted that insurance for cars and the cost for food, transportation and other basic needs will be impacted if Guyana were blacklisted by FATF in May, when that body is scheduled to meet. Moreover, further sanctions would discourage foreign investors from coming into the country, Minister Singh explained, and this would negatively impact jobs international investors would have created via construction, production and manufacturing.

APNU Councillor Abdul Latiff, who attended the meeting, agreed that the AML/CFT Bill is a serious matter, and called for the political parties to work together to find a solution to the impasse.

Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Eghill, explained that the opposition keeps shifting the goalpost to the point where it is now impossible to negotiate with them. Similar sentiments were echoed by Minister Singh, who chronicled the Opposition parties’ pattern of reneging from agreed positions.

The Opposition parties’ proposed amendment that empowers police, customs and FIU officials to seize currency was roundly criticised. Residents made it clear that this is not a legal provision they can support, since many of them have very little confidence in law enforcement officers.

Region 2 Vice Chairman Vishnu Samaroo said the upsurge in economic activities in an economy that is primarily cash-based makes $10M a small sum, especially for large businesses. He, too, called the opposition conditionalities unreasonable.

PPP MP Manzoor Nadir, who was also present at the meeting, reminded of the sanction that has already been imposed by CFATF, even as he refuted opposition-levied allegations that the Government had been “sitting on the bill” since 2011. He explained that CFATF came to review Guyana for the first time in 2010, and subsequently, in early 2011, they issued a first report in which they engaged the Government in talks on measures that ought to be taken.

They then issued a final report with the prescriptions which Guyana had to follow in order to become compliant. That report was issued in November 2011, at which time the Parliament had been dissolved and the country was in full elections mode.

“Because of that one-seat majority, they intend to play pure politics and rule over ruin, if they have to, because ruling is more important than the welfare of every man, woman and child,” Nadir said.

He informed the gathering of the experience of The Bahamas, which had been blacklisted in 2000. When the FATF placed the Bahamas on the list of non-compliant jurisdictions, it had to spend a total of US$35M from its treasury to come into compliance, he said.

Former Regional Chairman and Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture, Alli Baksh, emphasised the need for citizens to understand the gravity of the issue at hand, and the possible consequences that blacklisting could exact on the country’s future.

The AML/CFT Bill is currently before a parliamentary select committee, where it has been for over a year. That committee was scheduled to meet again on March 10.