AFC touts free education from oil money  

The Alliance For Change (AFC) says it supports the use of revenues derived from oil production in 2020 to provide free education to all Guyanese.  

The Party held its first National Executive Committee (NEC) Saturday at Umana Yana where it “unanimously approved a motion to unequivocally support free education from nursery to university and facilitate housing for all Guyanese with revenues to be derived from oil.” 

A statement from the AFC noted that the Constitution of Guyana provides that “every citizen has the right to free education from nursery to university as well as non-informal places where opportunities are provided for education and training.” 

The AFC – the smaller party in the Coalition Government – said that its NEC meeting was expanded to include regional, municipal and Neighbourhood Democratic Council councillors and saw over 110 delegates in attendance from the 10 administrative regions in Guyana along with the Diaspora.  

The NEC also unanimously approved a motion for the APNU+AFC Coalition to be maintained as per the Cummingsburg Accord for the next General and Regional Elections. 

The statement noted that Leader Raphael Trotman, in his address, said that the party has listened to the people and “has heard what they have had to say.”  

According to the statement, Trotman noted that the Guyanese public holds the AFC to a different political standard than that of the traditional political parties and acknowledged that the AFC did make some missteps in Government. 

“The Leader also reaffirmed his confidence in the David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo leadership to guide the Coalition Government in the period ahead,” the statement noted. 

According to the statement, the NEC renewed the party’s commitment to constitutional reform and recognized the need for greater and meaningful involvement and participation of young people in the next Coalition Government.  

“Further the party recognized the need for greater empowerment and the provision of more opportunities for the young people of Guyana.” 

Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan, in his address, outlined the legal matters pertaining to the No-Confidence vote of December 21 and underscored that the APNU+AFC Government is legitimate, “credible and proper and will not engage in the dereliction of duty by not pursuing the matter to the fullest extent of the law.”