AFC National Executive Conference set for January 28

Jan 14, 2017 News

-Hughes, Patterson, Ramjattan ready to run for leadership positions once nominated

The National Executive Conference (NEC) of the Alliance For Change (AFC) is set to take

AFC General Secretary, David Patterson

place on January 28 at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School in Region Three. This was revealed yesterday by the General Secretary of the Party, David Patterson.
At the bi-weekly press conference for the Party, yesterday, Patterson said that this will be the first occasion on which the party will host an NEC outside of Region Four.
He said that the NEC will include elections. The 16 positions to be contested are Leader, Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary and National Executive Members for which there are 12 positions open.
The AFC General Secretary said that the membership base of the party is 6000. He said that the party has an Electoral College system comprising of 275 delegates which are allocated as follows: Region One – 10 delegates; Region Two – 20 delegates; Region Three – 15 delegates; Region Four – 75 delegates; Region Five – 20 delegates; Region Six– 40 delegates; Region Seven – 10 delegates; Region Eight – 10 delegates; Region Nine – 10 delegates; Region 10 – 20 delegates; Women For Change (WFC) – 10 delegates; Youths For Change (YFC) – 10 delegates
USA Chapter – nine delegates; Canada Chapter – six delegates; Caribbean Chapter – six delegates and the United Kingdom Chapter – four delegates.
Patterson said that delegates must be members of the AFC for a period of no less than one year and one day and be in good financial standing.
He said that the deadline for nominations is 12 noon on January 23 and nominations from the floor will be not permitted. He said that a list of all nominees will be announced following the nomination deadline.

AFC Executive Member, Cathy Hughes

Furthermore, Patterson said that voting will be by secret ballot and a Returning Officer who will be named at a later date will preside over the elections. The NEC will also allow for motions from any member, providing that it is seconded and any member can attend. However, only the delegates have voting rights.
AFC Executive Member, Cathy Hughes, hailed the conference as being an apt opportunity for the party to plan for the future and ensure that it continues to make a positive contribution to the political landscape of Guyana. She said that while the party has had some exciting times, there have been challenges when it comes to moving the relatively young party to a point where it is now a strategic partner in the coalition government.
The Minister of Public Telecommunications stressed that the conference is going to be one of introspection and looking to the future.
Members of the media inquired about some of the nominations for the posts. But Patterson said that it was too early to do so as these are still being received.
He was then asked to say whether it is the belief of the party that ministers should step aside and allow others the chance to lead the party and do the needed ground work.
The Minister of Public Infrastructure said that the party has not put any restrictions on its members who are ministers. The General Secretary expressed confidence that members are honest enough to relinquish the party post should they feel that the responsibilities of the said post along with that of their ministerial requirements are too overwhelming.

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan

The press conference panel, which included Patterson, Hughes and AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, was also asked to say, if it believes that they still have the stamina to go on in the leadership positions of the party after acquiring a taste of office life.
The trio agreed unanimously that they are up for it. They said that there is adequate support for the respective posts and that it is not a “one man job.” They reiterated that should there be any difficulty; members should be brave and honest enough to step aside and allow another to take over.
Patterson also noted that should he be nominated for the leadership position, he would not back down. This sentiment was shared by his colleagues at the forum.
Ramjattan made it clear that he too would go forward once nominated.
As for Hughes, she said that the conference is open game and the thinking that a longstanding leader cannot be challenged does not exist within the AFC.
The AFC members also noted that the co-founder of the Party, Raphael Trotman who serves as Minister of Natural Resources, continues to be very much involved in the work of the party.

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