A second motion of no-confidence is being sponsored by Alliance For Change (AFC) councillors as they aim to remove Region Four’s Vice Chairman and APNU councillor Samuel Sandy.
General Secretary of the party, David Patterson, last week told Stabroek News that the motion is being tabled by Councillor Amernauth Chinkan.
Patterson explained that the coalition parties had an agreement which is not being observed and it is on those grounds the motion is being tabled. The motion, the party’s general secretary said, was scheduled to be filed on October 6 and was seconded by AFC councillor Brian De Abreu.
Regional Executive Officer, Donald Gajraj, when contacted, explained that the councillors had given notice they will be submitting the no-confidence motion. However, he indicated he will have to enquire if the motion was submitted to his office.
Questioned as to whether the party is still pursuing the motion of no-confidence against the APNU Chairman, Daniel Seeram, Patterson answered in the positive.
He explained that the party has received recommendations from a bipartisan group and is pursuing the motion “incrementally.”
In August, Chinkan sponsored a motion against Seeram calling for his removal from office within 14 days of its passage and for new elections for a chairman to be called. The motion was never tabled at the statutory meeting. Stabroek News understands that similar resolutions were put forward in the motion against Sandy.
Councillor Neilson McKenzie is listed as the seconder according to the motion but no signature was affixed to the document.
Seeram and Sandy were elected to their positions subsequent to the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections.
Seeram had told Stabroek News that he was not aware of the motion against his leadership. He explained that as it is, no motion has been formally submitted to be placed on the agenda of the next statutory meeting which is scheduled for August 26.
“No such motion was submitted. If it is not formally submitted then there is no issue… any motion has to be approved by the chairman to be placed on the agenda,” he pointed out when contacted last week.
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.
Should the motion be tabled, it is likely to receive the support of the PPP/C but it remains unclear whether other AFC councillors will offer their support.
Despite being coalition partners, APNU and the AFC have had testy relations for a number of years particularly as it relates to the sharing of regional positions. Last year at the Region Four council elections, APNU breached an accord with the AFC which would have resulted in APNU holding the chairmanship and the AFC the vice-chairmanship. At voting time, APNU voted in both of its candidates.
