By Fareeza Haniff
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Government is standing firm to its position that the parliamentary opposition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) – is the sole obstacle which a prevents Guyana from meeting the deadline of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).
At a post cabinet media briefing on Wednesday, April 30, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon told reporters that “The Government of Guyana is not an obstacle to Guyana subscribing to CFATF guidelines nor are the stakeholders. It is the parliamentary opposition.”
Guyana stands to be internationally blacklisted if it does not enact the amended Anti – Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) Bill.
CFATF officials recently visited Guyana with the hope to break the deadlock between government and Opposition, however their efforts were futile.
According to Dr Luncheon, government finds it strange and “inexplicable” that during the visit of the CFATF officials, the Opposition disclosed that the issues which delay the enactment of the Bill are more political than legal.
“Some things are never political,” Dr Luncheon said. He added, “The fact is that the Opposition should be asked to explain how it is that regional and international bodies, countries and stakeholders adapt to CFATF guidelines not withstanding their wide ranging politics.”
