-reaffirms APNU+AFC Coalition is strong and cohesive

ON the eve of the second anniversary of the historic May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections, the Alliance For Change (AFC) has appointed a special Cummingsburg Accord Review Committee (CARC).

The CARC has been tasked with studying the Cummingsburg Accord and identifying areas which may require strengthening and updating along with discussion and negotiation with coalition partner, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

The AFC took the decision at its second National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 2017, while simultaneously reaffirming that the Coalition Government remains strong and cohesive and that it remains committed to the coalition’s ideals and principles and the Cummingsburg Accord itself, the party said in a statement.

However, the party noted that the accord is a sunset agreement which requires early review with a view to the Local Government Elections of 2019 and General and Regional Elections in 2020.

“The Cummingsburg Accord is an historic agreement which was the platform for the APNU+AFC Coalition coming to Government in 2015, it has served as a guide to the Coalition partners in Government and there has been good faith and a strong sense of mutual respect on both sides,” party leader Raphael Trotman said.

“Given that we are approaching our second anniversary in Government,it presents an opportune time to engage in reflection and commence an early process of thorough, comprehensive and necessary review of the Cummingsburg Accord with a view to strengthening, updating and broadening the agreement as we look towards upcoming elections in two and three years’ time,” Trotman added.

“The CARC has been tasked with widely consulting with the party’s members and stakeholders to listen to their views and recommendations and examining the agreement itself and present to the party’s NEC, at its next meeting, a preliminary report on the areas, which in its view, requires further examination,” Trotman explained, while reiterating that the party is keen on ensuring that it prepares adequately and comprehensively for future elections.
The committee comprises Dr. Vincent Adams, Dr. Rohan Somar, Marlon Williams, David Patterson, Joel Edmond, Sherod Duncan, a representative of Women For Change and a representative of Youth For Change.

The members will appoint a chairperson from among themselves.

The second NEC meeting for 2017 was held on Saturday, April 29 at the Egbert Benjamin Conference Centre in Linden, Region 10, following the first, which was held in March in Georgetown.

The party engaged on discussions on a number of high-level matters which included the issue of Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education tuition, which it agreed should be repealed.

Representatives from all ten administrative regions attended the meeting along with representatives from the diaspora, Women For Change and Youth For Change.

The high-level, quarterly meeting received various reports, including from Trotman, General Secretary Marlon Williams and from representatives of the Regional Management Committees.

Trotman noted that he is especially pleased with the extensive work being done by the party at the grassroots level, particularly in Regions Five, Nine and 10, and urged that activists continue their work to engage with party members and the wider public as the party seeks to broaden its membership across Guyana.

Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan expressed that he is heartened by the number of outreaches which the party leadership has undertaken all across Guyana and called for this programme to be intensified so as to ground with citizens and inform the public of the work the party is doing in Government as part of the APNU+AFC Coalition and independently within the various communities, City wards and neighbourhoods.

The party’s NEC comprises the leader, chairman, vice chairperson, general secretary, treasurer, elder statesman/political advisor, 12 elected members and five co-opted members.

The meeting was entirely funded by the host region, Region 10 Regional Management Committee (RMC) under the chairmanship of Tracey Johnson. Following the meeting, several party leaders engaged in walkabouts in Linden, listening to, socialising with and engaging Lindeners.