Latest update April 20th, 2024 12:59 AM
Nov 03, 2017 News
The Alliance for Change (AFC) is disputing a report that its Canada branch has severed ties with the locals. The political party, in a statement reported that Party Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan has since spoken to a number of members, including some founding members of the Chapter.
“They are wholly surprised at this development and are unaware of that meeting in which the decision was made to divorce the chapter from the local executive,” the AFC said.
“They were not invited. They have pledged to keep the Chapter going,” it added.
Explaining the current situation, AFC Chairman, Khemraj Ramjattan, said that Tamesh Lilmohan and Laurence Williams, two members of the Canada branch, along with others in Canada AFC, played huge roles in fundraising activities in the 2015 Elections.
“It has to be said that Tamesh always hesitated to join forces with APNU. The AFC leadership respected that position being the liberal democratic party it is.”
However, when the argument was put as to how else change could be brought about without a change in the PPP Government, Tamesh Lilmohan did indicate that once the decision is supported at a National Conference, he would support the majority position.
“This National Conference was held in 2014 and the decision was unanimous that we negotiate an Accord. We successfully did so and myself and Granger signed same on 14th February 2015.”
“Tamesh was a willing partner thereafter and as President of the Chapter, raised with the rest of the Chapter members, a substantial sum for the AFC. So it hardly can be said he neither supported the decision to negotiate with APNU nor the Cummingsburg Accord.
“If he did not, why then raise in Canada and send to Guyana those funds? Was he unwillingly doing so? Maybe! But that was never indicated to us here in Guyana. And we were always in communication. The Cummingsburg Accord was sent to him for circulation to other members whom we understood were in support.”
Ramjattan said that after winning the elections as a coalition, his party communicated constantly with the Chapter.
“He was for good reasons granted the Diaspora Award after the 2015 Elections, which he gracefully accepted in a ceremony in Canada. He was very supportive of the Investor Summit we had in Canada in 2015. He even wanted to work with this APNU/AFC Government as its Commissioner-General in the GRA.”
Ramjattan said that quite noticeably, communication deteriorated when Lilmohan failed to get that appointment as Commissioner-General, having narrowly lost out on meritorious grounds to another top competitor.
“He hardly, thereafter, participated in our AFC NEC meetings which we previously did with him through Skype. He did not turn up or send a representative, although invited to, to our National Conference earlier this year in Vreed en Hoop. After a very long time, the only communication received was this ultimatum a couple of days ago sent by him and Laurence Williams.”
Ramjattan said that the leadership will be going over to Canada early in the New Year, to speak to the membership and get clarifications as to their position on matters.
“We will clarify for them why we did what we did, if further clarifications are needed.”
“Guyanese politics ain’t easy. Fallouts there will be. And issues will come up where even close friends and colleagues will disagree. The journey just has to continue. That is exactly what we in the AFC will do. Pick ourselves up, dust off and move on.”
Where is the BETTER MANAGEMENT/RENEGOTIATION OF THE OIL CONTRACTS you promised Jagdeo?
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