Two Region Four Alliance for Change (AFC) Councillors are positioning themselves to table a motion of no confidence against the APNU Chairman, Daniel Seeram.
The motion proposed by Councillor Amarnauth Chinkan calls for Seeram’s removal from office within 14 days of its passage and for new elections for a chairman to be called.
While Chinkan in his motion did not provide a rationale for the move against Seeram, he said that the motion was being brought under the Local Government Act Chapter 28.09 which provides for the election of a Chairman.
The motion was scheduled to be tabled at the council’s last statutory meeting on July 22, 2021.
However, Regional Executive Officer Donald Gajraj and the Chairman yesterday told Stabroek News that they were not aware of the no-confidence motion.
“The records of the meeting can show that no such motion was debated on or even made it on to the agenda,” Gajraj said when contacted yesterday.
While Councillor Neilson McKenzie is listed as the seconder according to the motion, his signature is missing from the document. When contacted last night, he would only say that he will speak on the matter today to “explain it [the motion] better.”
Chinkan when contacted yesterday said that he was not willing to speak on the motion via telephone as he does not know the reporter and asked to be contacted today.
Seeram, who was elected to the position subsequent to the March 2, 2020 General and Regional Elections also 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 Thursday.
“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 explained when contacted yesterday.
Calls to the AFC top brass including Khemraj Ramjattan and David Patterson went unanswered.
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.
