Latest update April 7th, 2025 12:08 AM
Guyana’s blacklisting stands to affect CARICOM, OAS members – Teixeira
The severe penalties associated with the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force (CFATF)’s blacklisting status are not isolated to Guyana. As such, CARICOM and OAS member states that do business with Guyana are concerned about the country’s future.
Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira
This was the assertion of Presidential Advisor on Governance, Gail Teixeira, during a post-Cabinet press briefing yesterday at the Office of the President.
Teixeira was at the time responding to a query about Government’s method of seeking support from CARICOM and the Organization of American States (OAS) given Guyana’s blacklisted status by the CFATF due to the non-passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill.
Teixeira said that the administration did not lobby CARICOM and the OAS to be supportive, but rather used its capacity as a Government to speak to friendly countries about their situation.
Government wants the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill as it is, but A Partnership for National Unity wants to adjust the Bill before it could leave the Parliamentary Special Select Committee and be presented to the National Assembly.
According to Teixeira, CARICOM and the OAS are very concerned with what is happening in Guyana.
“And, so the issue is a two-way street…CARICOM countries are very concerned…CARICOM heads are concerned about this inability of Guyana to bring the Bill and pass it, and the impact it would have on their economies too…This is not all about loving Guyana, but their own national self-interest, and that is quite alright…They are entitled to that because it will have an impact,” she said.
She emphasized that Guyana exports rice, sugar and other products to, and imports goods from CARICOM countries. As such, if this matter is not successfully resolved by the time CARICOM heads meet this month, after February 23 it will be on the agenda.
“This issue is of such importance to CARICOM, this is not a Guyana story. And we trying to deal with this story as if ‘dis is ah we dese story’…This is an issue that is global, regional and where it is the Americas – from Canada all the way down to Argentina,” Teixeira noted.
“Guyana trades and shares relations with OAS countries, outside of CARICOM…so when the Secretary General makes a statement; makes overtures to help Guyana, this is not merely because Guyana is having trouble, this is a very bad development for the Region, the Americas we are the only country,” she said.
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