By Svetlana Marshall
With a rallying call that “Better Must Come”, prominent Attorney, Nigel Hughes, emerged as the new Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) on Saturday following the leadership elections at the party’s National Conference.
While Hughes went into the Congress with just two nominations, he was able to pull off a landslide victory against his only competitor for the position, Sherod Duncan. Mr. Hughes amassed a total of 149 delegate votes to Duncan’s total vote count of 62.
Hughes, who previously served as a Chairman of the Alliance for Change, said he is deeply humbled by the confidence instilled in him by his party.
“First of all, I am humbled and deeply appreciative of all the people that have made this work, including Sherod, who ran against me…The people who have encouraged me over the years to consider taking these steps, I say thank you. Of course, to my parents and my foreparents,” Hughes told News Source.
He said in moving the country forward, it is important to build an all-inclusive country, where young people have a greater say in the country’s development.
The Alliance for Change is currently in a parliamentary coalition with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). The People’s National Congress Reform is the largest party in the APNU+AFC Coalition, with the AFC being the second largest.
“One of the key things is that we have one agenda for Guyana, just one agenda. There are many things that have to be changed now. The country, I think, is in a very precarious state, in terms of our relations, those have to be addressed. But most importantly our future, our future has to be all inclusive. Every single person, particularly the young people, have to be involved in the planning of the future, and they have to participate in it. It cannot be a top-down governance, all of us have to plan it,” the newly elected Leader of the AFC said.
Hughes has replaced co-founder of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, as Party Leader of the AFC. Ramjattan did not run for office.
Meanwhile, in conceding defeat, Sherod Duncan who also got voted out as General Secretary, said he will continue to serve his party, and the country.
Duncan, who is a Member of Parliament and a former Deputy Mayor of Georgetown, has built up a large following on social media over the years with his morning and evening talk shows.
“Mr. Hughes emerged as the Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) in that electoral process. I have already had the privilege of congratulating him, and stand ready to work with the party in moving forward,” Duncan said.
But the AFC’s Elections was not without hiccups on Saturday.
During the election for Party Leader, the first round was scrapped by the Returning Officers, over concerns that there were a small number of duplicate votes.
Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram served as the Returning Officer, with Chairman of the Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union, Trevor Benn, as his Assistant.
“Very, very sad note, sad start in that sense, that the first round of voting for the Leader of the Alliance For Change, the Returning Officers would have observed persons, a couple, not in any great number would have voted twice, there were some persons who had on other persons’ ID card, and those persons were not even authorized to be part of this National Conference of the Alliance For Change. The Returning Officers had a good sense that the process had been compromised, they scrapped that went to the ballot again for leader,” Duncan told News Source.
However, Duncan said he was satisfied with the end result, and the Returning Officers, who ensured that the election was fair and transparent.
He also thanked his supporters.
Meanwhile, David Patterson was elected Chairman of the AFC with another party co-founder, Raphael Trotman elected as the new General Secretary. Trotman previously held the positions of Leader and Chairman. His election to the General Secretary’s position marks his return to active politics, as he had taken a backseat in recent years, owing to ill-health. H
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