Newly elected leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Raphael Trotman said his party is moving head on, positioning itself for a new Cummingsburg Accord.
Speaking at his party’s bi-weekly press conference on Thursday, Trotman said the accord which was first signed in February 2015, between the AFC party and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), will again have to be signed in February
AFC Leader Raphael Trotman
2018.
He said what is most important, however, is working cohesively within a coalition to return the administration to Government.
“The accord will expire in 2018 and we will have to renew them and we will position ourselves strategically within the coalition to ensure we are relevant, respected and appreciated and we are united to take that coalition forward,” Trotman told journalists.
Last week, former AFC General Secretary David Patterson said the Cummingsburg agreement has been “much less than desirable”.
He said since its signing, the day-to-day administration of the Accord has been problematic, especially at the local level.
“The day-to-day administration of the Accord is much less than desirable. The interface between the coalition partners at all levels has not been the best. Although at the Cabinet and ministerial level, the working relations have been excellent, at the lower levels, it has not been so.”
Patterson noted that in order to contest the 2015 General and Regional elections, when the party leadership entered into discussions with APNU, some “tough patches” were experienced.
He added that not every element of the Cummingsburg Accord functioned as the framers intended, and a number of issues have arisen that need to be addressed in an effort to enhance its effectiveness.
Meanwhile, when asked what he wants to see going forward in the new Accord, party Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan had said “I would want to see continuity. There will be areas that we can deal with at the engagement level better, when there are disputes of some sort that they could be resolved quicker”.
He said it is very “subjective” and has been a relationship that has been very sound and unjustifiably criticized.
