Well-orchestrated
As stated last Sunday it was my intention to bring the series of columns on money laundering to an end. As previously indicated, the columns have been based on a memorandum on the subject, which I had submitted to the Special Select Committee of the National Assembly on October 10. Since that submission, however, there have been several striking developments, which clearly warrant further comment. These include 1) the sudden termination of the work of the Special Select Committee and the decision by its PPP/C members on their own to table a report on behalf of the whole committee in the National Assembly. (This tabled report has been since rejected by the National Assembly.) 2) the issuance of a Notice by the US Treasury stating it is taking steps “to curtail tax evasion in the Caribbean and other places” under the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA).
Thirdly, there has been what some persons refer to as the “well-orchestrated/choreographed” publication of full-page statements in the print media by private sector and financial bodies. Those publishing such statements include the Private Sector Commission; the Guyana Association of Bankers; the Insurance Association of Guyana; the Guyana Manufacturers and Services Association; and the Aircraft Owners Association.
Altogether these statements seem to studiedly raise grave fears and even the spectre of the cataclysmic collapse of Guyana’s financial system, economy, and livelihoods, if the legislative amendments that were before the Special Select Committee had not been immediately passed into law. I must confess my surprise at observing business firms, and in