AFC has lost its identity in coalition Gov’t

– Former member says party now ‘political dead meat’

By Samuel Sukhnandan

A former executive member of the Alliance for Change (AFC), who was actively involved in the 2011 elections campaign, is of the firm view that the party to which he once pledged allegiance has now become ‘political dead meat’, and has lost its identity after some 30 months in office.
Overseas-based financial analyst Sasenarine Singh’s comments were made in light of the recent decision taken by President David Granger to sideline two AFC nominees and instead appoint 71-year-old Working Peoples Alliance (WPA) executive, Desmond Trotman, to fill the post of a commissioner at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).
“I believe (that) — because of the lack of commitment to the original intent of the AFC: of being the balance of power between the big forces (PPP and PNC) — they have now surrendered that middle ground. They have become a political poodle of the People’s National Congress (PNC); so much so that they cannot distinguish themselves from the PNC anymore. They are basically political ‘dead meat’ as we speak, and it is not going to improve,” he opined.
AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan revealed that President Granger had requested the party to present a name to fill the vacant post of commissioner of GECOM. The party had suggested Trevor Williams, a youth leader in the AFC; and as an alternative nominee, Beverley Alert, a former AFC spokesperson. But neither person was selected. AFC Leader Raphael Trotman has since expressed his disappointment at this development.
Singh believes this recent action taken by the President points to the fact that young people are not being given the chance to work on the task of reshaping the new Guyana. “They are literally struggling in an environment that is dominated by septuagenarians and octogenarians. I am of the belief now that President Granger has an obsession with this group of people, (which) constitutes less than 10 per cent of the Guyanese population; and he is clearly out of sync with what the world is demanding for today and tomorrow. He seems more obsessed with a yesterday’s world.”
The former AFC executive member, who resigned from the party back in 2014, said this is a dangerous precedent being taken by the President, especially in light of World Bank statistics which shows that 91.2 per cent of the Guyanese populace is under the age of 65 years old. He said this obviously means that there is a huge demographic mismatch happening under the coalition Government.
Singh noted that the world is moving ahead with placing young people in leadership roles, and so should Guyana. He made reference to a number of young people, including Canada’s youngest Cabinet member, 29-year-old Karina Gould; Emmanuel Macron, President of France; and Austria’s newest leader and former Foreign Minister, 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz, among several others.
“This latest appointment of Desmond Trotman clearly does not represent the views of the majority, and it feels like an imposition almost, when these appointments are made of these septuagenarians as alternative representatives,” Singh said, while expressing his own disappointment.
Singh recalled that it was former President Desmond Hoyte who had established a principle that, as the Leader of the Opposition, two commissioner positions at GECOM would be given to the People’s National Congress (PNC) and one would be designated to the combined opposition, with the largest small force being given the nod. He said this explains how Robert Williams from the Good and Green Guyana (GGG) party had managed to get appointed to sit on the GECOM executive team.
The AFC, being electorally the largest small party, should have been given the nod, Singh said. “But as we are seeing today, Granger does what Granger wants, and he wants septuagenarians and octogenarians.”
But, Singh said, Guyanese need to understand that not only does the President has an obsession with people between 70 and 80 years old, but he is also obsessed with “domination of the PNC in all these key positions. I believe it is very important that we pick up on that and question it,” he pointed out.
Another concern raised by the former AFC executive member is that President Granger is allegedly attempting to operate as a military leader even while being President.
“This is not the military. Guyana is not a military organization, so much so to the point that when a general says, ‘March!’, the whole country will march. NO SIR, it will not happen! I think President Granger is still stuck in his military mindset. Well, he will find it extremely difficult growing Guyana economically if he continues along this path,” Singh added.
Singh said, too, that it seems as though the leadership of the AFC is also trying to keep step with the President and his orders. “So, in my view, they have lost their identity. The easiest categorisation of the AFC now is ‘certified poodle force of the PNC’ and nothing else,” he argues.