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FM
Former Member

December 6, 2014 | By

The Alliance for Change (AFC) holds its National Conference today. It is an important gathering. The Conference will no doubt be asked to chart the way forward for the party, including the near future.
That near future is likely to see elections. With the doors of political compromise shut tightly, it is almost certain that the President will early in the New Year announce a roadmap that will conclude with General and Regional Elections.
It is the President who has to name the date for elections. But in so doing he also has to consider the readiness of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to undertake polls. GECOM has just commenced another round of registration and each round runs for quite a few weeks. When this round of registration is completed, there will be a need for the eligible names to be added to the national list of registrants, and from this list, for the preliminary list of electors to be produced. After this, there has to be claims and objections to sanitize the list before a final list is produced.
The AFC may therefore feel that elections are some months away, even if parliament is summoned and the party is able to carry through with its threat to pass a no-confidence motion against the government.
The AFC has to be cognizant of this reality and therefore, it is more than likely that the party will use the National Conference to develop its strategies for the forthcoming elections, whenever these are held.
To not do so would be to Court disaster because the government, you can bet, will be monitoring the developments at the National Conference of the AFC, and if the AFC does not address an election strategy at its National Conference, the government may rush to call snap elections to take advantage of the AFC’s failure to use its National Conference to ready its membership for elections.
The PPP may do this even if it feels that GECOM is not ready, because what stands in the way of the PPP winning a majority is not APNU. In a month of Sundays, APNU can never defeat the PPP, never. The AFC cannot either, but it can win sufficient support to deny the PPP a majority and hold the balance of power within the National Assembly as it did in the 10th parliament. The PPP’s primary concern is therefore the AFC.
Obviously, of course, the AFC knows that the government is thinking about elections in the second half of 2015. But they should also consider that the government is thinking that the AFC knows how it is thinking and therefore, the government could come with another plan such as a snap election within three months. This is why it would be foolhardy for the AFC to not use its National Conference to strategize and mobilize its membership for imminent elections.
But how can the National Conference strategize about elections without knowing or determining who will be the party’s presidential and prime ministerial candidates for general elections. You have to develop a strategy around a leadership and unless the membership or delegates know who the prospective presidential and prime ministerial candidates are, it would be difficult for them to develop an effective strategy.
The AFC is however, saying that its National Conference will not elect its election candidates, since the party’s Constitution provides for a special conference for the identification of these candidates. This places the delegates to today’s National Conference in the dilemma of having to contemplate an election strategy without knowing who will lead the party into elections.
The AFC will no doubt use the National Conference to have its proposals for Constitutional reform discussed and approved. However, before the Alliance for Change addresses the supposed deficiencies of Guyana’s Constitution, it should examine the weaknesses of its party’s own Constitution, which quite amazingly allows for a Special Congress to elect the party’s presidential and prime ministerial candidates instead of the Conference of the party doing so.
If needs be, the AFC may wish to strengthen its democratic credentials by  passing an amendment to its Constitution to allow for either today’s conference to elect the party’s candidates for general elections or allowing the  total membership  to do so at some other conference of the party.

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A significant loss for the party was the resignation of(Haas_Piss) Sasenarine Singh, who was considered the party’s Finance Chief.
Last August, the AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes had tendered his resignation, but it was not accepted. Hughes had offered his resignation after it was reported that he was the Company Secretary of Amaila Falls Hydro Inc. However, Hughes in a release had said “the incorporation of the Amaila Falls Hydro Inc and my appointment as secretary had been a matter of public record since the incorporation of the Company in April 2009.
Prior to that, in March 2013, AFC Councillor Charrandas Persaud decided to leave the party over “recognition issues,” which were among a long list of his concerns that are yet to be addressed.
Several other members, including Dr Asquith Rose and Tarron Khemraj, had resigned from the party and joined A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), because of unresolved conflicts and differences on policy issues and decisions taken by the AFC’s current leadership.
The AFC representative on the Region 2 (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Archie Cordis, has also parted ways with the party.
In early October this year, former AFC Region 6 (East Berbice/ Corentyne) Councillor, Haseef Yusuf, a very vocal critic of the party, was replaced by popular businessman, DevindraSookraj.

FM

AFC National Conference…“We will fire, fry and jail corrupt PPP officials” – AFC leader, supporters

December 7, 2014 | By | Filed Under News 

– Speak out against wrongdoings, for silence is equivalent to condoning the wrong as well- Ramjattan urges citizens…

By Kiana Wilburg An intense and passionate feeling for Guyana’s development as well as one of national fervor

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan during his address

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan during his address

manifested itself throughout the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) National Conference which was held yesterday at the St. Stanislaus College on Brickdam. The event saw representations from almost every ‘nook and cranny’ of the country. Delegates, decked out in the party’s yellow jerseys, heard AFC leaders report on the way forward and on the readiness of the party for General Election. The main theme of the congress was to “fire the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).” There were presentations by AFC General Secretary, David Patterson and Chairman Nigel Hughes who spoke to the need for Constitutional Change. But the statements delivered by AFC leader, Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo really stirred members of the crowd. Nagamootoo in his welcome remarks said that since 1953, the nation has never had such a vicious attack on its Parliament and even on its democracy as was witnessed when President Donald Ramotar suspended the Parliament for six months on November 10, to avoid facing the party’s No-Confidence Motion. He invited the attendants to applaud to show their condemnation of the act by the President. After loud cheers and applause, Nagamootoo said that the government should be considered as not “Because we care,” but “Because we scare.” Since its aggressive moves after President Ramotar prorogued the Parliament, the AFC Chairman said that his party has proved to the world that even with seven members in the National Assembly, “little scissors could cut big bands and now the Emperor (Ramotar) stands naked to the world.” He stressed that the party continues to press on with Ramjattan leading the way

A section of the large gathering yesterday charging, “We are ready for elections”

A section of the large gathering yesterday charging, “We are ready for elections”

from the clutches of the PPP that seems hell bent on dragging the country through the evils of repression and racism. He boasted that the party has blazed in the trail in exposing abuse of powers and resources by the executive, its deep connection with the criminal underworld and its secret bank accounts. Highlighting that the AFC’s passion to expose the truth and to strive for the betterment of the people knows no bounds, the lawyer also told his audience that it is grateful for the support of its Opposition colleague, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). He expressed hope that both will continue to work purposefully towards healing the nation. Nagamootoo then charged up the crowd as he shouted, “Are you ready for elections?” and the audience responded firmly, “We ready”. This was a chorus that was repeated several times throughout the opening ceremony of the conference. After singing national songs, the group, Circle of Love, then paved the way for a rousing presentation by AFC Leader, Ramjattan. He was introduced by the moderator as the fearless, “Haul ya tail” fighter of the people, who has been a Parliamentarian for over 20 years. He started out with a strong charge. “The AFC is ready to fire the PPP,” he said. Since the party’s third biennial congress, the lawyer said that he and his team have provided leadership, from the National Assembly, to the bottom houses all across Guyana. The party, he said, has managed to stir the minds of the people and even those of the detractors. “We are not a minority but a major political party and have firm roots in the political landscape,” he emphasized. However, there are saddening realities that the nation must grapple with, Ramjattan expressed. The MP said that there is a dilemma of massive corruption, inequality, marginalization, malfunctioning institutions and as of late, prorogation. He said that Guyana is witnessing a generation marked by degeneration as the elitist government continues to dominate with mediocrity. He said, too, that Guyana is at a crossroad, which he termed, “dysfunction junction” but noted that the AFC will halt this degeneration. The lawyer reminded those present that the current administration only does “a lot of talking” meanwhile, “they are setting up perks and big pensions and privileges for themselves. They do what they do to give favours to family and friends and we have to ensure we do certain things to cleanse the nation and its institutions so we can start afresh.” Doing what’s necessary Ramjattan said that one of the irritants to moving forward is that there is silence in the face of grievances. He stressed that citizens must not be quiet anymore and it is the time to speak out against atrocities. The AFC is not only about speaking out against wrongdoings but also finding solutions to the problems at hand, Ramjattan told the conference. Admitting that it is a herculean task, he said that it is a job that requires collective effort. “Too often we remain silent on the wrongs around us.” He said that silence is equivalent to condoning the atrocity itself and at the individual level, this must be brought to a halt. At the political level, the AFC leader said that it will continue to expose corruption. Not doing so comes with a cost to the life of the nation. “And what do we do with corrupt officials?” Ramjattan asked. The crowd yelled, “Jail them.” The politician said that the party has maintained a watchful eye on officials but the time has come to include a cracking whip. He said too that even when the AFC gets into office and it is by any chance corrupt, the electorate has a responsibility to “crack the whip.” “You must be fearless and fry the big fish,” he added. This was greeted with much approval and had members shouting, “We will jail the PPP and we will fry them.” He called on those present to have no self doubt about change being possible. The MP said that the AFC has the capacity to promise Guyana a better future, one where inclusionary democracy rules over politics of fear. He added that his party is prepared to partner with members of APNU and even those from the PPP who are disenchanted with the work of the party. “We need better governance hence we are saying, bring on the elections,” the AFC leader concluded.

Mitwah

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