The PPP is not interested in passing the Anti-Money Laundering Bill
Dear Editor,
The Minister of Legal Affairs in his latest diatribe on the Anti-Money Laundering saga has chosen to ignore the facts and ascribe blame on the majority opposition for the sad state his Government has placed Guyana in. What he has not done is to level with the people on the facts surrounding the Anti-Money Laundering Bill. It is his government that is stalling the process and not the majority opposition and thus we call him out on the facts.
FACTS:
1. A team from the CFATF visited Guyana from 18-29 of January 2010 when the PPP had the majority in Parliament and recommended these same amendments since 2010 to be made and the Jagdeo regime totally ignored them. During 2011 and 2012, there was no effort by the PPP to discuss and pass the Bill in Parliament. The PPP did not see the importance of the bill until in the last few months of 2013. Is the opposition to be blamed for a lack of urgency from the PPP in passing laws when they had absolute and total control of Parliament? LIE No. 1. BUSTED.
The truth is if the PPP is not interested in passing the Anti-Money Laundering Bill because it will expose their illegal money transactions and those of their rich relatives and friends. So despite the rant and rave and distortions the people will not believe them because they know it is sheer propaganda.
2. The majority opposition has asked for the amendments to be strengthened to make it feasible to investigate money laundering independent of the regime’s involvement. President Ramotar responded that he is not interested in that, he wants “unconditional passage” of his soft version. Ignoring the wishes of the political majority is the “architect of disaster” on this bill. LIE No. 2 BUSTED.
Only a foolish minority regime will ignore the wishes of the majority and so once again, the callous minority PPP regime has brought the country to the brink of disaster and the consequences will be felt by the poor and the working class and not their rich friends and relatives who have all the money in the world to do as they please.
3. There is enough irrefutable evidence to show that one of the main institutions that will expose money laundering is the Public Procurement Commission. Thus the AFC call for the full establishment of the Public Procurement System is a recommendation that will help the government fight money Laundering.
In fact, the AFC leader, Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan has on numerous occasions asked the PPP regime to establish the Procurement Commission. The PPP has bluntly refused and thus has caused the AFC to reject their process. On the other hand, Mr. Granger of APNU has requested that Mr. Ramotar assented to the bills passed by Parliament but he has refused. So it is the minority PPP regime that is stalling the process and not the AFC or APNU. LIE No. 3 BUSTED.
We want the people to know that the minority PPP regime is very hypocritical in its false claim that it wants the Anti-Money Laundering Bill. Let us be very clear in saying that this corrupt regime is not interested in having a Procurement Commission or the Anti-money Laundering Bill.
So as the world prepares to unleash sanctions on Guyana, the truth remains. It is the PPP, which is the principal cause of this predicament and it is only the PPP that has to shoulder this blame, not the opposition. We therefore ask all Guyanese both at home and in the diaspora to reject their false allegations and tell them that they should govern in the interest of all Guyanese irrespective their ethnicity and party affiliations. The resources of Guyana belong to all Guyanese and not those in the cabal and their chosen friends.
Dr. Asquith Rose and Harish Singh