In a first, President Donald Ramotar yesterday made a direct appeal to Members of Parliament (MPs) for the passage of amendments to the anti-money laundering laws by next Tuesday at latest but the opposition parties have signalled that this is unlikely within the timeframe.
Although the main opposition APNU has resumed its participation in the special select committee reviewing the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, leader David Granger yesterday said the work would not be rushed, while the AFC stood firm to its call for concessions from government as a pre-condition for giving its support.
In a message to the National Assembly that was read by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Ramotar said he was “appealing” to all MPs to put the country above partisan interests, ahead of a review of Guyana’s compliance with Caribbean Financial Action Task Force/International Cooperation Review Group (CFATF/ICRG) recommendations.
“I am calling on the parliamentary political parties and their representatives in the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill, No. 12 of 2013 to do all that is possible to complete its review on this bill and return it to the House expeditiously,” he said.
Ramotar noted that many Caribbean countries have experienced difficulties in meeting the requirements of the CFATF/ICRG in order to reduce structural, legislative and administrative deficiencies and to meet international standards established to protect the international financial and banking system.
In particular, he cited the experience of an unnamed neighbouring country whose status was downgraded twice in the same review process that Guyana currently faces and the resulting impact. “This experience is instructive as to the repercussions that will impact on the ordinary people and the economy of Guyana if we too are downgraded, and moved into a different category,” he added.
The president, in pleading for the select committee to bring the amendment bill back to the House at a special sitting either tomorrow or by next Tuesday the latest for its passage, pointed out that other legislatures, comprising both government and opposition, rose to the occasion to address their own deficiencies. “Guyana’s destiny is in your hands,” he said, while adding that MPs should put Guyana first and not be “found wanting.”
The president’s message was followed by a submission by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, who chronicled the progress of the bill, from its tabling on April 22. Noting the positions taken by APNU and the AFC since this reading, Nandlall chided their positions and reiterated the argument that failure to meet the deadline for passage would fall squarely on their shoulders if they did not adopt a more cooperative posture.
There was also an attempt by Hinds to move the adjournment of the Assembly for the purpose of discussing the amendments as a definite matter of urgent public importance. Hinds described the current situation as it relates to the passage of the amendments as an emergency and therefore requested the adjournment. However, Deputy Speaker of the House Deborah Backer, who was presiding over the sitting at the time, disallowed the application using a ruling made by former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran. Backer explained that the section of the Standing Orders cited by Hinds spoke about urgency while the amendments have been in the making for quite some time.
An attempt made by PPP/C MP Irfaan Ali to make a submission on the issue was refused by the Deputy Speaker.
‘We will not
be rushed’
President Ramotar’s appeal to MPs came after attempts to reengage APNU in the work of the select committee, after it withdrew its participation over his failure to share information with the opposition and other stakeholders on the reform process.
Explaining the reasons for the decision on Monday, Granger, in a letter to the president, stated that that he had been shown a letter to the president from the CFATF 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.
Presidential Adviser Gail Teixeira said on Tuesday that the non-dissemination of the letter to opposition parties was unintentional and said that attempts were made on Monday to convey such to Granger. President Ramotar subsequently wrote Granger to “apologise for any slight imagined” and assured that “it was never intended.”
Yesterday, Granger said that the explanation given by the president was insufficient but added that nevertheless in light of it APNU was willing to recommence the consideration of the bill in the select committee. However, he emphasised that the coalition had no intention of being rushed.
“Having received the president’s letter, I didn’t feel that the president’s explanation was satisfactory but I decided to move ahead and we’re moving ahead now. But the president’s explanation aside, we want to get ahead with the business of the select committee and that’s what we are doing. It will be brought before the assembly when the select committee has completed its deliberations. We will not be rushed,” he said.
Granger further noted his conviction that the CFATF will not make its decision based on when the bill is passed, but the country’s failure to effectively implement the Act. “This matter has been on the table for a number of years and the government has been sitting on its hands, not the opposition. We will give the people a money laundering Act that they can live with, one that will bring launderers to court. No matter how long it takes the people will get a good Act,” Granger maintained.
The AFC, meanwhile, had announced that it would withhold support for the bill until the government had revised its position on the two opposition bills to which the president refused to give his assent. The party had also demanded that the government make moves to appoint its representatives to the long delayed Public Procurement Committee (PPC).
Even before yesterday’s sitting of the National Assembly was convened, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, at the Public Buildings, stated that his party’s position had not changed. “We haven’t seen the government nominate their names for the Public Procurement Commission, so if the bill is here for a vote we’re going to vote it down,” he said. “We have also made a conditionality that we would like the president to review his veto on those two important opposition bills which were passed to him; otherwise, we aren’t supporting the Anti-Money Laundering Bill,” he added.
Later, in a statement in response to the president’s appeal, the AFC blamed the government for placing Guyana in the jaws of sanction, while reiterating its demands.
“President Ramotar has made no admission but instead placed the burden of saving Guyana on the shoulder of the parliamentary opposition parties,” it said, while adding that it was not amused that after he refused to assent to opposition bills, he is now seeking their approval of government measures.
“We are revolted by the President’s continued stiff back to the formation of the Public Procurement Commission, which our Constitution commands. It would therefore be nothing short of poetic justice for the AFC to demand respect for our Constitution before surrendering to his shallow appeal,” the party added, noting that the failure to set up the body showed the good faith of the Ramotar government in fighting financial crimes to be a farce.
