Rift between APNU, AFC deepens after motion against Region 4 Chair

…APNU’s rep brands AFC’s actionsc as “distasteful”

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-nominated Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Captain Daniel Seeram has branded the recent actions and statements made by the Alliance For Change (AFC) as “distasteful”.
Seeram made this pronouncement in a statement on Monday. It comes after the AFC had brought a No-Confidence Motion (NCM) against him and had issued a statement citing continued failures and shortcomings in the management of the RDC.

The smaller party had also expressed their lack of confidence in the APNU-elected Vice Chairman, Samuel Sandy. In his statement, Seeram expressed concern at the statements and actions of the AFC Regional Councillors on Thursday.
“It is most unfortunate that these actions were done in the absence of the Regional Chairman which makes the situation distasteful. After careful assessment and consideration of the reported issues it was determined that many of these issues were inaccurately stated, while others were ventilated at the level of the RDC statutory meeting where the records can attest that the necessary guidance was given and formal complaints were lodged,” Seeram said.
“To our partners in the APNU+AFC Coalition there is mutual respect for all concerns that are brought to the leadership of the RDC Demerara-Mahaica. These matters are discussed, consulted and then informed decisions are made. With the current posture it would be favoured that good sense prevail and the intellectual authors of such actions would comprehend that this course of action bears no fruit, but only creates mischief.”
Going forward, Seeram urged that a collective and unified approach is adopted by all stakeholders in the region. The Chairman also urged that all pertinent issues affecting the region be immediately communicated in order to bring relief and provide assistance.

High-handedness
In the AFC’s statement announcing the No-Confidence Motion, they had detailed the high-handedness of the APNU Chairman and the manner in which the RDC’s business is handled. For instance, one of their concerns was the suspension of the Regional Administration of Committees meetings without a word to them. This, according to the AFC, resulted in chaos.
“The alienation and exclusion of the AFC and its representatives by the Chair is seen in that he currently holds Chairmanship of key committees including the Tourism Committee which to date has never met as well as the Drainage & Irrigation committee.”
“The Chairman is currently the sole representative on the Sea Defence Board of the Ministry of Public Works, the National Drainage & Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Board of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Covid Task Force of the Office of the Prime Minister,” AFC also said in their statement.
In September 2020, the actions of APNU had set the tone for how things would go at the Region 4 RDC. APNU, which has a history of infringements against the smaller party, had locked the AFC out from the Vice Chair position despite a previous agreement.
That agreement stipulated that the AFC would get the Vice Chair positions in Regions Seven and Four. True to that agreement, AFC had nominated Neilson McKenzie for the Region 4 Vice Chairman position. However, APNU nominated Samuel Sandy and the PPP nominated Desmond Morian.
Voting along party lines, APNU and PPP cast their 14 votes each for their candidates and the AFC, with its five votes, backed McKenzie. Seeram then used his deciding vote to elect Sandy, overriding the AFC’s nominee.
Since it came into office after joining forces with the APNU in 2015, the minority AFC has been criticised for the submissive role it has been playing to the abusive APNU. Decisions the former Government made, such as the closure of sugar estates, which put thousands of sugar workers out of jobs, were passed unchallenged and even supported by the AFC. This is despite the AFC retaining the Agriculture Ministry.
This passive relationship with APNU was cited by former AFC parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud, as one of the reasons he voted for the No-Confidence Motion that brought down the APNU/AFC Government in 2018.
In addition, there has been the former Government’s strategic reallocation of responsibilities away from Ministries that were headed by AFC officials, to other Ministries. There is also the fact that despite the Cummingsburg Accord containing stipulations that should have seen former Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo being vested with the responsibility for chairing Cabinet and domestic issues, the former APNU Government never honoured this.
Since their loss of office, the AFC has also been hit by a number of resignations. These resignations include Joel Edmond, the husband of Opposition coalition Member of Parliament Geeta Chandan-Edmond. Former coalition MP in the 11th Parliament, Reynard Ward also resigned. (G3)