Dear Editor,
The failure to pass the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Finance of Terrorism legislation exposes a glaring lack of effective political leadership and validates concerns about the country’s pernicious political leadership crisis.
One would have assumed that after all the gamesmanship, posturing and rhetoric, our political policy-makers, at both the executive and legislative levels, would have buckled down to pass this important legislation. After all, it is only our country’s international reputation and economic and social well-being which are endangered.
We could not have been more wrong as a people, as this whole episode solidly confirms why one should never make assumptions.
In a few days Guyana will be hit with sanctions and countermeasures by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and a series of actions detrimental to the overall health of our financial and economic systems will follow. Days after the announcement of the international ‘blacklisting,’ the propaganda and rhetorical thumping machineries of both the government and opposition political parties will become loud and the finger-pointing will go as far as to poke each other in the eyes.
While this theatre plays out, ordinary citizens will be left to ponder what the eventual consequences will mean to them. Regrettably, some will be sucked into the blame game and choose sides based on whose argument they believe.
However, the truth is that both the government and opposition are to blame for this failure. The government, through the office of the president, should have demonstrated an ‘at-all-costs’ spirit to negotiate and offer concessions to the opposition to ensure a middle ground solution was arrived at, but in the end, the blame game emerged more disturbingly as the more desirable route.
The opposition also deliberately squandered the moment. Holding the majority in Parliament, it could have moved the bill from the select committee level, passed it on the house floor and sent the bill to the president for his assent. This was made easier when the chairwoman and the executive director of the Caribbean FATF offered to lend any technical assistance to the bill’s sponsors to ensure the finished product would have complied with FATF standards.
This suggests our political leaders are failing in their leadership responsibilities to get things done in the people’s best interest. It is time our citizens take the floor in demanding more effective leadership.
Yours faithfully,
Clinton Urling
