By Ralph SeeramThe only picture that stuck in my mind of the deadly shootout with police and a miner this week in Georgetown is that of a policeman with gun raised behind a wooden fence. He has NO protective head gear,[url=http://www.salecheapjerseys.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap[/url], NO bullet proof vest,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysshare.us@#$%&/]Cheap Jerseys[/url], and I am saying to myself that is crazy.The wooden fence is definitely no protection, and he has no protection for his vital organs in the chest area.Guyanese in the Diaspora have been ?burning up? social media about the shootout and the greater consensus was why no protective gear for the police in such a situation. People also wanted to know if they are trained to handle such situations.That?s because they are accustomed to seeing officers in bulletproof vest,[url=http://www.salecheapjerseys.us@#$%&/]NFL Jerseys China Wholesale[/url], especially here in the US. In Orange County, Orlando, where I reside, it is compulsory for police officers to wear bulletproof vests on duty, they wear it under their shirts even though the temperatures here are similar to Guyana.If we are going to ask policemen to put their lives on the line we should spare no expense equipping them with the necessary tools to protect them.No amount of money is too much to spend to protect officer?s lives, and I am not talking of bulletproof vests alone. I recall a similar situation here in Orlando where a killer was holed up in a house firing away at police. By way of heat penetrating sensors they saw precisely which part of the house he was located and were able to take him out. Of course the question of a Guyana Police S.W.A.T. team arises again; there can be no doubt now that such a specialized unit is needed to handle such situations.This is a stark reminder for the public and critics of the Guyana Police Force that there are good officers, that there are dedicated police officers who are willing to put their lives on the line to protect the Guyanese public.The least the government can do is to equip them to do the job. I would hate to know if the Post Mortem reveals that the two policemen died from head and chest injuries, which we know could have been avoided with the right protective gear.My sympathy goes out to the immediate family, relatives and friends of the four killed.Now we come to the anti-money laundering Bill that both David Granger and Ramjattan blocked in Parliament. I am all for the opposition demanding accountability and transparency from the government; I have no problem with them using their political leverage via their majority of one in Parliament to get concessions from the government.That is fine up to a point, but national interest takes precedence over self interest,[url=http://www.cheapjerseysfan.us@#$%&/]Jerseys NFL Wholesale[/url], and this seems to have been lost on the opposition, either they are not aware of this or they deliberately blocked the bill for other reasons than what they stated.The opposition is claiming that the government is protecting ?drug dealers? but some would argue that it is the opposition who are protecting ?drug dealers? and money launderers by not passing the Bill.Let?s examine this issue carefully. The PPP government position is that the legislation met the requirements of Caribbean Financial Action Task Force. Both APNU and AFC were not satisfied. APNU wants some strong enforcement language while AFC wants the Procurement Commission to avoid corruption in contracts. Fine, they used their majority in Parliament to send the Bill to a select committee.They know Guyana is facing a deadline (which by the way is a few days away). The opposition has been using delaying tactics for five months making no meaningful contribution, staying away from meetings,[url=http://www.wholesalesportsjerseys.us@#$%&/]Wholesale Authentic Jerseys[/url], knowing that there is a deadline to pass the Bill. Now the opposition is claiming the PPP wrapped up the works of the committee without an opposition presence.My question to the opposition is – why were you not present? What have you been doing for five months?Why could the opposition not make amendments to the Bill incorporating the many concerns, use its majority in Parliament to pass it and send it to the President to sign, or table its own Bill in Parliament incorporating its concerns along with the requirements Caribbean Financial Action Task Force and send it to the President.Then the ?ball would be in the President court? for him to sign. If he really needs to comply with the deadline he has to sign and everybody gets want each wants.By refusing to even to do that would give the impression to some that it is the opposition who want to protect money launderers/drug dealers.APNU and AFC are over simplifying the disastrous consequences of what I would describe as their unpatriotic actions. The smooth flow of business would be seriously disrupted, the PNC/APNU completely demolished the private sector during their dictatorial reign, and it seems that they are on the way to doing it again.Do we now have to go back to the old PNC days of getting money out of the country? Do we have to go back to the bartering days and suitcase traders?For the young in the PNC days there was no foreign exchange. What some people did was for someone in Guyana to give his family or business in Guyana the money in Guyana dollars while the person in the US gives the money to his or her family here. It was a system I used to send money to Guyana in those days.Now I am afraid when I go to send money to Guyana (if blacklisted) that I will be looked upon as a suspected drug dealer and money launderer. Now I will have to answer more questions, undertake more paper work.I can see the clerk at Moneygram, asking me, in front of all the people in line Clerk??Who is this money for??Me??My family?Clerk??Your family has ties to a terrorist organization?Me? ?No but I think they belong to a Party that is supposed to represent Poor People?Clerk ? ?Is that organization suspected of dealing in drugs? Did your family try to get drugs from them?Me??They tried, but the New Amsterdam Hospitals got no drugs; the employees sold them to the stores so I am sending money for them to buy drugs at the store?Clerk??What, I see your Country is blacklisted and this look like a suspicious transaction. I have to report this, step aside and wait for the OFFICERS.?Me protesting??No,[url=http://www.wholesalejerseyssale.us@#$%&/]Cheap Jerseys Authentic[/url], no you don?t understand it?s medication they buying,[url=http://www.wholesalejerseyssale.us@#$%&/]China Jerseys Wholesale[/url], we call it drugs in Guyana?Clerk??SECURITY ?Ralph Seeram can be reached at email [email protected]