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US Embassy meets APNU…Delay in Anti-money laundering legislation; Local Government elections discussed
As part of a continuing engagement with the diplomatic community, Parliament’s largest Opposition group yesterday met with the US Embassy on a number of pressing issues, including the delayed passage of anti-money laundering legislations.
According to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which holds 26 seats in the National Assembly, the meeting was held at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, on Hadfield Street, Georgetown.
APNU leaders and the US officials during the meeting yesterday.
“The two sides discussed several issues including governance and the work of the National Assembly,” a statement from APNU said. APNU is a coalition of 10 parties that participated in the 2011 General and Regional Elections. When combined with the seven seats of The Alliance For Change, the Opposition has a one-seat advantage.
According to APNU, during the meeting, emphasis was placed on the Parliamentary Budget Office and the Parliamentary Legal Counsel. The Opposition has been battling the administration for its own legal counsel to help draft new legislations.
“Discussions were also held on Local Government Elections and the status of the un-assented Local Government (Amendment) Bill.”
This particular issue of Local Government elections has been lingering in the political arena for over a decade with a standing agreement that no polls will be held without reforms. Legislations were passed earlier this year but only three of the four pieces were assented to by President Donald Ramotar.
The Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill, which is in limbo in the National Assembly was also raised during the meeting.
This is a critical piece of legislation which is needed for Guyana to comply with regulations of the international community to ensure the country is taking steps to ensure dirty money does not enter the financial system.
According to APNU, this issue was discussed and “the two sides looked at the way forward with emphasis on legislation and the country’s compliance with the other enforcement measures as recommended by the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF).”
The United States Embassy team comprised Bryan Hunt, Deputy Chief of Mission along with an officer from the Political Affairs Department. A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) team was headed by Leader, Brigadier (Ret’d) David Granger and included Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, Joseph Harmon and Ronald Bulkan.
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