Government is seeking to re-engage the opposition in a bid to pass amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act (AML/CFT) by a May 27 deadline, but both APNU and the AFC yesterday virtually shut the door on emergency talks, while saying the Donald Ramotar administration withheld information from them.
A day after Opposition Leader David Granger announced his party’s withdrawal from the parliamentary review of the proposed amendments over the withholding of information,
Presidential Adviser on Governance Gail Teixeira said that his actions were prompted by the misperception that he was slighted. President Ramotar has since written Granger to “apologise for any slight imagined” and assuring that “it was never intended.”
In a letter to Ramotar on Monday, Granger, leader of APNU, stated that he had been shown a letter to the president from the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)—circulated to the members of the Special Select Committee reviewing the amendments—which advised the government to disseminate information on Guyana’s compliance with anti-money laundering reforms to the opposition as well as other relevant stakeholders.
The CFATF correspondence, which was received by the president on April 12th, read: “We would strongly encourage that this letter be disseminated to Members of the Government, the Honorable Leader as well as Members of the Opposition and all technical public officials involved in the AML/CFT architecture.”
Granger stated that he was never sent this letter and requested an explanation from the president for his “refusal” to share the letter as was instructed. Granger further stated that he had instructed APNU representatives on the Select Committee to “take no further part in the work of the Committee until a satisfactory explanation is received.”
The administration also came under fire yesterday from the AFC, which, in a release, also said that it did not receive a letter from the government. In fact, the party said that it was first notified of the CFATF letter on May 17th.
The AFC labeled the government negligence to send the letter “a betrayal of immense proportions,” and accused it of having placed the country in a position of grave danger. The AFC also criticised the government for “failing to alert the people of Guyana since November 2012 of the jeopardy which the country faced.”
But Teixeira yesterday said that the non-dissemination of the letter to the opposition party was absolutely unintentional. During an interview at the Office of the President (OP), she assured the public that the president never intended to withhold the information from the opposition and said that attempts were made to contact the Opposition Leader subsequent to the receipt of his letter.
Teixeira said that after initial attempts to contact Granger failed, a letter was sent to his office explaining what had transpired.
In the letter, seen by Stabroek News, Ramotar notes that he received the CFATF correspondence on April 12, at which time OP was pressing for the resumption of budget talks with the opposition.
He adds that he was made aware of the situation surrounding Guyana’s compliance with CFATF obligations derived from the outcome of CFATF/ ICRG [International Co-operation Review Group] assessments, while noting that he was aware of the planned intervention in collaboration with local, regional and international stakeholders in organising a workshop on the same matter on April 17.
“It is in that context that the omission took place during which I may have committed the imagined slight as your May 20th, 2013 correspondence intimates. I can assure you that no such slight was ever intended as your participation was expected at the Workshop where the status of Guyana’s situation was the key Agenda item,” he further said.
Teixeira said that at 4pm on Monday, when the parliamentary select committee convened she was informed by APNU MP Debra Backer that APNU representatives had been instructed not to attend. Teixeira, who chairs the meetings, said that she attempted to explain to Backer that she was in possession of a letter sent to Granger earlier that day and even attempted to read the letter to the members.
“They said that they don’t want to hear it. They refused to hear it and said that their instructions were to have nothing to do with the meeting, at which point they left. Mr. Basil Williams was walking in at that point and he also reversed out through the door. (AFC Leader) Mr. (Khemraj) Ramjattan only came to collect some documents.”
In light of this development, Teixeira said she feels that the progress made during the committee’s meetings will count for nothing.
Furthermore, she said that the CFATF in its letter to president “encouraged, not instructed” that he disseminate the letter to Granger. “It is the president’s discretion who he would like to invite,” she noted.
Teixeira said that despite continued attempts to contact members of the opposition, the government has not received a response.
‘Duplicity’
Speaking to Stabroek News, AFC MP Moses Nagamootoo said “at this point it is not helpful to hold an emergency meeting. The government is guilty of duplicity, they have withheld information and they have not been honest. In fact, vital documents were only made known to the opposition most recently. I’m not sure how helpful speaking and holding any talks now will be. We’ve already made our position known and the government has maintained their stance of acting like they are alone in making decisions.
The AFC has stated that it will withhold support for the amendment bill unless the government sets up the Public Procurement Commission and President Ramotar assents to two opposition-piloted bills passed earlier this year.
APNU MP Rupert Roopnaraine said the coalition “wants the strongest possible AML/CFT bill. The problem has been that recommendations to the [Financial Intelligence Unit] have been largely ignored. The APNU is not rushing these discussions and it seems very alarmist in nature that if the bill is not passed things will change dramatically. I think there is a lot of hype but we are not letting this rush our decisions and our review of the amendments. We have no expectations in any emergency meeting and at this stage it doesn’t seem like it will happen.”
Teixeira said that government is convinced that the APNU is using the misunderstanding as an opportunity to pull out of the Select Committee which would stop the bill from proceeding and force a situation where Guyana will not meet the May 27 deadline.
As a result, she said, when Guyana is reviewed by the CFATF it is quite possible that the country will be moved to a category which will make transacting certain financial transactions difficult.
Teixeira explained that Guyana is currently in the first category, which is a review process. She said that if the country is removed, it will be placed in a “prima facie” category. “This means that we will have to go through additional hurdles to bring ourselves in line with the policies.”
She said that Trinidad and Tobago was in such a position where they were being reviewed and was forced to convene an all-night Parliamentary session to facilitate the Bill’s 1st, 2nd and 3rd reading, its passing, as well as the president’s [assent].”
Teixeira said that she was forced to close Monday’s select committee meeting since there was no quorum, but said that she suggested that a meeting be held either yesterday or on Friday so that the work of the committee could progress.
“I personally sent out emails last night to the opposition members on the committee offering them these two dates and also asked them to relate dates that would be convenient to them on which we could meet. I have received not one response from the opposition members on the committee,” she noted.
She said that calls were also made to the opposition committee members yesterday morning requesting that they meet. With the exception of Ramjattan, she said, all of the opposition committee members stated that they would not be attending any such meeting until they were instructed to do otherwise.
“This development is tragic and it is unfortunate that this has become the reason for the committee not being able to function,” she said.
She bemoaned that the APNU insistence on resisting efforts to move forward with the bills, especially since it has such negative implications for the country. “They are willing to risk Guyana’s future over what is a perceived slight, despite the fact that the president has offered an apology.
Addressing claims that government did nothing for months to address these concerns which were made since last year, Teixeira said that though it seemed that nothing was being done “works were ongoing.” (Additional reporting by Pushpa Balgobin)
