By: Devina Samaroo
Executive Member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Moses Nagamootoo strongly believes the decision by the AFC’s Canadian Chapter to exit the Party was made by only a few disgruntled individuals.
“It was a backroom, side door meeting. People who are strong supporters of the AFC, they weren’t invited for the meeting. I understand that they were called and told ‘let’s come for a gyaff, a sip and chat’,” Nagamootoo told News Room on Thursday (November 02, 2017) in an interview on the corridors of Parliament Building.
A letter in the name of the Secretary of AFC – Canada, Laurence Williams, was sent to the leaders of the Party on October 27, 2017.
Williams said the decision to leave the AFC was made at a recent meeting in Toronto after the Party expressed its support of the President David Granger’s decision to unilaterally appoint a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
Williams also said that the Canada faction pulled out of the Party because its members felt betrayed by the AFC’s “outlandish” decision to join the coalition.
“Members and supporters are still debating the question of, in whose interest was this decision made – the country, the Party and its members, or was it for the selected few who are in lucrative Governmental positions today,” AFC-Canada said in its letter.
Nagamootoo said the AFC will be launching an investigation to determine which members were present during the meeting and how many are actually in agreement with the statement.
“We are investigating that, many people have called me personally and other leaders of the Party to say that they were never invited to the meeting and they are trying now to find out what happened, who went there and how this decision was made,” Nagamootoo explained.
The AFC-Canada had explained that it will not rejoin the Party until the leaders denounce President Granger’s decision to appoint a GECOM Chairman outside of the names submitted by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo.
The diaspora-support group also said it will not rejoin until the Cummingsburg Accord is rewritten to give it due credence and legal enforceability with definitive time limits for its implementation and until the government immediately commence the Constitutional Reform process and enact the reformed constitution before the next General Election.
The next General Election is slated for 2020.
