The Chairman of Region Four, Daniel Seeram has labelled attempts by the Alliance for Change (AFC) to remove him from his post as unfortunate and distasteful.
“This course of action bears no fruit, but only creates mischief,” Seeram, who represents the AFC’s coalition partner, APNU, said in a statement yesterday.
In a motion piloted by Councillor Amarnauth Chinkan, the coalition partner has accused Seeram of excluding them from decision-making within the Region. The AFC councillors contend that unilateral action from Seeram and Vice Chair Samuel Sandy, who both represent A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have hindered the efficient functioning of the one-year-old Council.
Seeram is accused of creating chaos by unilaterally suspending the meetings of the sub-committees of the RDC. This suspension created information short flows which frustrated the work of the Council and forced Council members to move a motion for their reinstatement.
The AFC has stressed that its alienation and exclusion is clearly shown in the fact that Seeram holds Chair-manship of key committees and sits as the sole Regional representative on several national boards.
According to the Chair, the issues raised by the coalition partner have been either misrepresented or were already resolved at the level of the Council.
“To our partners in the APNU+AFC Coalition there is mutual respect for all concerns that are brought to the leadership of the RDC of Demerara-Mahaica. These matters are discussed, consulted and then informed decisions are made,” he said, while advocating for a unified approach in the future.
Seeram’s statement was released one hour after a meeting between the leader-ship of the APNU and AFC to address the various issues raised in the motion.
AFC General Secretary David Patterson confirmed to Stabroek News that a meeting referenced by Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon did occur.
“I can confirm that the leaders met today at 2 pm. That’s all I can say at this time,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Chinkan said that the motion which was rejected at the August 26 meeting of the RDC will be refiled with the Regional Executive Officer on Wednesday September 1.
“They argued that it wasn’t submitted in time so rather than argue with them we accepted that ruling and will resubmit it well in advance of the September 23 meeting,” he explained.
