AFC, APNU to amend Cummingsburg Accord before general elections

The Alliance For Change (AFC) says the Cummingsburg Accord signed by the coalition parties on February 14, 2015, will be amended and finalized within four weeks.

The Cummingsburg Accord is a historic agreement which was the platform for the APNU+AFC Coalition coming to government in 2015; it has served as a guide to the coalition partners in Government.

However, after more than three years in Government, there have been concerns that the AFC did not get exactly what it bargained for. In fact, the AFC Canadian Chapter has withdrawn its support from the Party for several reasons including this.

A statement from the AFC late Monday noted that it recently met with its Coalition partner – A Partnership for National Unity – and discussed a path forward in view of General and Regional Elections.

According to the AFC, “there is broad agreement between the two parties that the existing Accord can be amended for better alignment with the Constitution and can accommodate additional guiding principles that may previously have been omitted.

“Additionally, it was agreed by the two parties that a revised Accord would be more desirable than drafting a completely new Accord at this stage.”

Both parties have nominated teams to further discuss the amendments to be made to the Accord.

The AFC is led by the General Secretary David Patterson and includes National Executive members Dominic Gaskin and Dr. Vince Adams; the APNU team is led by their General Secretary Joseph Harmon.

The Cummingsburg Accord is valid for 60 months.

Meanwhile, the AFC held its quarterly National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Saturday, August 10, 2019, at the Arthur Chung Convention Center, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

According to the AFC, several critical matters were discussed including the Party’s preparation for the upcoming General and Regional Elections and the Cummingsburg Accord.

“The existing accord remains in effect until its life expires or it is amended by mutual agreement. The AFC remains fully committed to coalition politics in the national interest.

“Coalition politics in this regard reinforces our core belief of a functional multi-ethnic, ‘multi-view’ society to unleash the energies of all our people regardless of race, class, religion or gender enabling all Guyanese to enjoy their fullest potential.”

The AFC noted that a review of the Cummingsburg Accord has engaged the Party’s full attention since 2017.