Development second chance

The update by the Foreign Affairs Minister, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Guyana and Brazil on proposed infrastructural development should serve as a timely reminder to our political leadership that they have to arrive at some sort of “terms of engagement” sooner rather than later. The gridlock over the passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMLCFT) Bill has exposed a debilitating partisanship resulting in our developmental drive stagnating. Every financial institution, from the World Bank to the Caribbean Development Bank, has…

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Stalemate continues: Govt says Opposition holding Anti-money Laundering Bill ‘hostage’

The impasse on the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) (AML/CFT) Bill continued on Wednesday as parliamentarians yet again fail to reach a consensus on the vital legislation which would avoid the blackening of the country’s image internationally. According to Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (CPC) Cecil Dhurjon has failed to complete the draft for the proposed amendments from the opposition parties. Dhurjon told the members that he was having some difficulty drafting the amendments for the bill because the…

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Ramotar, Granger yet to consult on Police Chief’s appointment

Despite media reports that Crime Chief Seelall Persaud is tipped to replace Leroy Brumell as Police Commissioner, President Donald Ramotar has yet to consult with Opposition Leader David Granger as is constitutionally mandated. However, unlike the Chief Justice and Chancellor of the Judiciary appointments, the President is not required to agree with the Opposition Leader’s choice. Former Opposition Leader Robert Corbin had opposed the appointment of Henry Greene as the police chief, but then President Bharrat Jagdeo confirmed him as Commissioner,  albeit two years after he was appointed to act.…

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