The youth arm of the Alliance For Change (AFC) has made a passionate call for the party’s leadership to lobby for a review of the laws relating to marijuana possession in Guyana.
The case was presented by Youth For Change (YFC) President, Tiziana Rutherford during the party’s third National Executive Committee meeting held last Saturday at the Georgetown Club.
“During extensive discussions, it was noted that the current laws result in many young people, particularly young men and numerous mothers of young children being imprisoned for possession of small quantities of marijuana, at maximum detention facilities alongside hardened criminals,” the party noted in a statement.
To this end, the NEC agreed that modification of the existing laws will, among other benefits, lend to reduction of the overcrowded prison population.
Specifically, YFC urged changes to the law as it relates to mandatory imprisonment for possession of small quantities of marijuana, an overhaul of existing guidelines for sentencing and the granting of bail for narcotics offences.
This issue has been championed for a number of years by party veteran, community activist and Executive member Michael Carrington, Member of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the NEC also unanimously reaffirmed its publicly known position that the party was and is against the Parking Meter Contract in its current form. According to the AFC, until otherwise advised, the party will remain in vehement disagreement with the controversial contract.
The Party’s Leader, Raphael Trotman, detailed the countrywide outreaches executed by the party over the past three months, along with one major outreach to the New York Chapter of the party. He also used the opportunity to urge the NEC members, particularly parliamentarians, to utilise the period of parliamentary recess to conduct more outreaches on coastland and in hinterland communities to strengthen and expand the party’s membership.
Additionally, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, presented an extensive report to the NEC on three major advances on governance matters at the national level; namely Constitutional Reform, Code of Conduct for public officials, and the passing of the Broadcasting Amendment Bill 2017.
The Prime Minister emphasised that these successes formed collective evidence that the AFC was keeping its covenant with, and promise to, the people to advance these fundamental matters in the interest of all Guyanese for a modern society, the AFC said in its statement on Sunday.
The meeting was attended by representatives from all administrative regions, the Diaspora, Youth For Change (YFC), Women For Change (WFC), the elected leadership and national executives.
