The Alliance for Change (AFC) has officially submitted a motion of no confidence against Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram.
In a statement last evening the party explained that its Region Four Councillors have been excluded from decision making within the Region and contend that unilateral action from Seeram and Vice Chair Samuel Sandy, who represent A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have hindered the efficient functioning of the one-year-old Council.
According to the party, an attempt made during a Council meeting yesterday to table a motion for the removal of Seeram and Sandy was denied on procedural grounds but the motion itself has now been submitted to the Regional Executive Officer (REO) for inclusion on the agenda for the next meeting.
Seeram is accused of creating chaos by unilaterally suspending the meetings of the sub-committees of the RDC. This suspension created information short flows which frustrated the work of the Council and forced Council members to move a motion for their reinstatement.
“It is necessary to note that the Personnel and Human Resource Management Committee has not met for over eight months…result[ing] in employment malpractices perpetuated by the PPP within the Council,” the AFC claims, explaining that 14 health care workers have not had their contracts renewed and two nurses have not been paid for several months.
The AFC has stressed that its alienation and exclusion is clearly shown in the fact that Seeram holds Chairmanship of key committees including the Tourism Committee which to date has not met as well as the Drainage and Irrigation committee.
“The Chairman is currently the sole representative on the Sea Defence Board of the Ministry of Public Works, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), the Board of the Ministry of Agriculture and the COVID-19 Task Force of the Office of the Prime Minister,” the release stated, while explaining that this reality deviates from the historical norm of different councillors holding these positions and flies in the spirit of partnership which is fundamental to the APNU+AFC Coalition.
Further, the party claims that persistent disagreements between Seeram and Sandy “permeate” every council meeting and is a major source of discord that impacts negatively on the ability of the Council to function effectively.
“Currently these deficiencies have resulted in several contractors not being paid for close to six months due to the failure of the Vice Chair who heads the works committee to convene meetings and [approve payment] requests in a timely manner,” the party stated, adding that the fundamental differences in the approach by the two politicians makes it difficult for the citizens of Region Four to receive optimal services..
The party took pains to highlight the fact that it had not discussed the notice of no confidence with any other political party.
This motion is another demonstration of the rift which exists within the APNU+AFC coalition which held the reins of national government between 2015 and 2020. According to some observers the coalition has been crumbling since the Local Government Elections (LGE) of 2016. Following these elections the AFC expressed dissatisfaction with the number of seats it was granted on the various Local Government Authorities; the resulting fallout saw the two parties contesting the 2018 LGEs separately with disastrous consequences.
In 2020 the fallout continued after APNU refused to grant the AFC the Vice Chairmanship of Regions Four and Ten despite promises to the contrary.
The APNU+AFC coalition holds 20 of the 35 seats in the council, five of which are occupied by the AFC and 15 by APNU. Fourteen seats are held by the ruling PPP/C and one by Change Guyana.
