The Cummingsburg Accord Review Committee has found that the lack of a proper dispute resolution mechanism within the agreement is a primary issue, according to Alliance For Change (AFC) executive member David Patterson.
“The review committee has enshrined that we must have a far better mechanism of inter-party discussion as well as dispute resolution. Recommendations have also been made on the composition of boards and on local government authorities,” Patterson told a press conference on Thursday.
Other suggestions include that the government should hold regular meetings with executives of various parties in the coalition.
The February 14, 2015 accord formalised the APNU+AFC electoral coalition, which subsequently won the government at the May 11, 2015 polls.
In April this year, the AFC had announced that the review committee was set up to study the accord and to identify areas that may require strengthening and updating along with discussion and negotiation with APNU.
The Cummingsburg Accord, Patterson noted, expires in February, 2018, three years after it was first signed. As a result, it would require renewal if AFC intends to contest expected local government elections next year as part of a coalition with APNU, as well as general elections in 2020.
Patterson, however, noted that AFC members have been mandated to start preparations for the local government elections though a decision has not yet been made as to whether the AFC will contest alone or as part of the coalition.
Following the decision to establish the review committee, AFC leader Raphael Trotman had said that it had been tasked with widely consulting with the party’s members and stakeholders to listen to their views and recommendations and examine the agreement itself and present a preliminary report on the areas that require further examination at the party’s next National Executive Council meeting.
The review committee comprises Patterson, Dr Vincent Adams, Dr. Rohan Somar, AFC General Secretary Marlon Williams, Joel Edmond, and Sherod Duncan, as well as representatives of Women For Change and Youth For Change, the party’s women and youth arms, respectively.
