By Kurt Campbell
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Alliance for Change (AFC) says it will support efforts to suspend the Standing Orders of the National Assembly so that the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Amendment Bill could be returned to the House in this session.
The Bill was defeated at the last sitting of the House (November 7) by a majority opposition vote. The Opposition had said the amendments were incomplete and refused to support the Bill in its current form.
However, even as the AFC has given its support in re-tabling the Bill, it maintains that the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) must be established under the existing Procurement Act and assurances must be given that there will not be another stalemate.
According to the party’s General Secretary David Patterson, “The AFC is cautiously optimistic that steps to have the Bill returned to the House in this session would yield desired results.”
“As the Party has stated before, there is no reason why Guyanese cannot benefit from the protection offered by a Public Procurement Commission and stronger AML legislation,” Patterson added.
He said it must be noted that the AML legislation speaks of politically exposed persons and it is in this context also that a Procurement Commission is necessary, to provide safeguards that would help protect politically exposed persons.
The AFC’s General Secretary told members of the media that the party is currently in the process of making its position known to all stakeholders, including the Government.
“It is in the best interest of all the people of this country; private citizens, businesspersons and persons at risk of corruption that the AFC repeats that Guyana needs to have both the PPC and stronger AML legislation,” he concluded.
