AFC welcomes small parties on State Boards; says no invitation extended to APNU+AFC

The Alliance for Change Friday said it was pleased that the government has included members of several small parties on the two newly constituted Boards for the Guyana Oil Company and the Gaming Authority but knocked the administration for leaving out the APNU+AFC opposition.

AFC’s General Secretary David Patterson said that no invitation was extended to the coalition opposition for nominees to sit on State Boards even as the government has moved to appoint new boards.

“No invitation was extended to the coalition opposition to be part of any board,” Patterson said while pointed out that the previous APNU+AFC government made a special effort to make space for the PPP opposition on several state boards.

“It was a Cabinet decision to make space for a representative of the Parliamentary Opposition… we had written to them asking to nominate persons to sit on Board,” he added.

The opposition PPP at the time had reportedly declined the invitation on all occasions.

Patterson was backed up by AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan who acknowledged the appointments of small party’s members on the two board as “an element of inclusiveness.”

He said what would have been ideal is for the government to invite a nomination from the dominant APNU+AFC parliamentary opposition.

“What is important is to have it from the opposition parliamentary parties and those that matter,” he added.

He said the government must now move to expand its inclusivity by writing to the APNU+AFC to make nominations going forward.

“We had allowed the PPP parliamentary opposition to name who they feel has the skillset to contribute and scrutinize,” Ramjattan added.

He said the move to leave out the coalition is “control all over again.”