Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon on Friday said efforts were underway to resolve the issues at the centre of no confidence motions submitted by the AFC against Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Chairman Daniel Seeram and Vice Chairman Samuel Sandy.
“In every family there is some level of disagreement. Teeth and tongue must bite. But I can say to you that at the level of the leadership of the [coalition partners] AFC and APNU, that these issues are being resolved—as a matter of fact, will be resolved and they will be resolved to the benefit of the people of Region Four that are affected by this motion, so that we can have a smooth movement in the RDC on issues which affect the thousands of Guyanese who voted for us,” Harmon told a press conference.
He added that while the motions had been disallowed by acting Chairman Sandy as not being a “proper legal” motions, the concern is really what is behind the motions and the suggestion that there is some rift between the coalition partners.
“You will have statements being made by persons and this is what I call the strength of our democracy, that we are able to deal with dissensions that occur within our ranks from time to time and that we come out of it stronger. We believe that we are better together,” Harmon said while reiterating that the matters will be dealt with internally.
The AFC had previously said APNU, with which it contested the 2020 general and regional elections in partnership, had reneged on an agreement to endorse the party’s candidate for the Vice Chairmanship of the region.
The motions were disallowed because they were not submitted three days before the meeting as required by the Municipal and District Councils Act. The AFC has, however, indicated that all procedural errors will be corrected and the motion for the removal of Seeram and Sandy will be submitted to Regional Executive Officer (REO) Donald Gajraj for inclusion on the next meeting’s agenda.
Seeram is accused of creating chaos by unilaterally suspending the meetings of the sub-committees of the RDC. It is claimed by the AFC that this suspension created information short-flows that 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. He also sits as the sole RDC representative on several state boards, including the National COVID-19 Task Force.
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, before 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
