The Government of Guyana is continuing its efforts to whip up support for the passage of the amendments to the Anti Money Laundering Bill in its current form although several moves have been made to incorporate the suggestions of the Opposition in the updated legislation.
On Wednesday night, the Government sought the support of members of the Joint Services by hosting a special dinner and interaction on the legislation for senior members of the Joint Services at the Guyana Defence Force Headquarters at Camp Ayanganna.
Attorney General Anil Nandlall along with Minister in the Ministry of Finance, Bishop Juan Edghill and Presidential Advisor on Governance Gail Teixiera attended the event on the Government’s behalf and sought to explain the legislation and why it is important for the legislation to be passed by the National Assembly.
One source who attended the event said it appeared more like an event to bash the political opposition than one to inform members of the Joint Services about the Anti Money Laundering legislation.
The speakers from the Government repeatedly complained about the Opposition not wanting to support the bill in its current form without explaining that the Opposition had put forward many of its own recommendations to be included, the source explained.
Some of the officers who attended the meeting have said that now that the Government has presented its case to them, they hope that the Opposition will be allowed to do the same in a similar atmosphere.
Members of the Donald Ramotar administration have been travelling across the country hosting town hall-style meetings to whip up support for the passage of the Amendments to the Anti Money Laundering Bill. The Opposition parties which hold the majority in the National Assembly do not appear too worried about the travels of the Government.
Opposition Leader David Granger has repeatedly said that the Opposition intends to ensure that a clean Bill is presented to the National Assembly for passage. The Opposition Parliamentary parties, APNU and AFC have put forward several recommendations that are being worked into the Bill at the Special Select Committee level.
The APNU and the AFC have both been reminding the National Assembly that Guyana already has an Anti Money Laundering Bill in place but is still to be enforced by the Government.
The Opposition parties have also been expressing concern about a number of other pieces of legislation that have been passed by the National Assembly but have not been signed into law by the President. Among the Bills awaiting the President’s assent is one of the Local Government Bills that would clear the way for local government elections.
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