[www.inewsguyana.com] – The Alliance for Change (AFC) is proposing that government make available approximately $50 – $100 million to finance the work of the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) whenever it is established.
At the party’s weekly press conference on Thursday, December 5, AFC’ Leader Khemraj Ramjattan is hopeful that the PPC will be established early next year, so as to coincide with the passage of the Anti Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill.
This is a proposal which the AFC has also made known to President Donald Ramotar in a written correspondence on November 28. The AFC leader explained that he wrote to the President explaining a road map as to how they can “hit two birds with one stone” by passing the Amendment Bill and establishing the PPC at the same time.
However, this did not sit well with the President, Ramjattan said. He explained that the President responded to the AFC and stated that the two issues are not related and should be dealt with separately.
The Anti Money Laundering Bill is scheduled to be re – tabled in the National Assembly on December 12 and according to Ramjattan, the AFC will support the Bill to be returned to the Parliamentary Special Select Committee.
The AFC Leader is hopeful that when the Bill returns from the Committee in early January 2014, the nominees from the Peoples Progressive Party in relation to the PPC would have been made to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which would have then selected the five members it would recommend to make up the procurement commission.
“At that same time too, we are hoping on this road map that there shall be what is called a supplementary provision that is going to ensure that the Procurement Commission members now can have a secretariat that can be financed to the tune of approximately $50 – $100 million to get their work done.
“A lot of people feel that you can name the Commissioners, form your Commission and the thing will mean it is up and running. It is not. It will need monies so in our road map we are saying the select committee will finish its Anti Money Laundering Bill and on that day, we can pass the financial paper, we can get the two thirds majority support for the five commissioners and then we can pass what is called the Anti Money Laundering Bill,” Ramjattan explained.
He is hopeful that all of this can happen before the next meeting of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.
