A dispute resolution commission envisioned in the APNU+AFC coalition agreement, the Cummingsburg Accord, has not been set up to date, AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan has confirmed.
Following serious differences that spilled into the public recently, analysts say that both the AFC and the APNU-led government face substantial risks if the disagreements aren’t managed.
Ramjattan told Stabroek News on Friday that the dispute resolution commission had not been set up and AFC General Secretary David Patterson would be dealing with the matter.
The AFC appeared to take President David Granger and its senior partner APNU by surprise when it issued a statement from a retreat on Sunday saying that the concentration of various powers in Minister of State Joseph Harmon was responsible for the problems that had flared up in recent days around the government.
Granger has since said that he does not agree that Harmon has too many powers.
“I am standing by the duties which were assigned to him last May and this is what we were working with for the last 11 months and this is what was explained to the Cabinet retreat in January,” the President declared on Monday when questioned.
“We had a retreat earlier this year and we put out a very clear statement on the responsibilities of all 14 ministers and the Ministry of the Presidency. So there is a book, it’s stated, and nobody made any objection to the duties which were assigned to the Minister of State then and it would be surprising after two months that people feel that the duties have been, you know, misused or they need to be trimmed,” he added.
His comments suggest that a major disagreement between the two coalition partners has to be settled.
The AFC statement on Sunday also adverted to another likely area of contention: the report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the death of WPA Leader Dr Walter Rodney.
The AFC statement on Sunday said that the CoI report “affords the country an opportunity to address a difficult period of its history and hopes that it forms the basis for national healing and reconciliation.” Granger, on the other hand, has repudiated the report and its findings.
Harmon has been beset by a string of allegations pertaining to his appointment of businessman Brian Tiwarie as a business adviser, interfering with the work of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and a trip to China where he had contact with representatives of controversial logging company, Baishanlin.
Last November, Ramjattan had told Stabroek News that the commission had not been set up and according to him, this “shows we have an excellent relationship.” He had explained that the disputes which have arisen had been minor and these have been worked out at the leadership level. The AFC leader had said that the commission was probably envisioned as an ad-hoc one and there was no need for it at the time. “You just name this person and then what?” he questioned.
The AFC leader had further said that if there is a big disagreement then the commission will be set up but at the time, he did not see the need for this body. He had also said that he did not see any great disputes arising in the future and emphasised that differences that have arisen were not major.
In the Cummingsburg Accord, in relation to dispute resolution, the coalition had said that in keeping with the parties’ commitment to accountability and transparency, it will be adjudicated by a three-member commission mutually agreed and appointed by the participating groups. This commission will comprise a chairman who will be a mutually agreed independent individual, and two non-executive members of the APNU and AFC.
“This body will be required to hear all legitimate complaints (during campaigning and over the life of the resulting government) from participating members and make recommendations which the membership of this alliance pledges to accept, unless such recommendations are considered illegal. The sittings and the content of the work of the adjudication commission are to be treated with the same level of confidentiality as that of the cabinet and only be released with the consent of the parties signatory to this accord,” the agreement says.
