AFC’s Raphael Trotman resigns from National Assembly

Former Chairman and co-founder of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, has resigned as a Member of Parliament representing the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/AFC Opposition.
On Wednesday, the AFC disclosed that Trotman would officially leave the National Assembly next week. This move by Trotman, according to the party, is honouring a commitment he had made previously to step down as a parliamentarian in the 12th Parliament.
“Mr Trotman had indicated before the staging of [the AFC’s] National Conference that he would not be available for nomination as he would be resigning mid-term in the life of the present Assembly, which commenced in 2020, to allow for rotation and space for new leadership training,” the party said.
Trotman has been an MP since 1998, entering the National Assembly under the People’s National Congress (PNC). He then left the party to join forces with current AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan to form the AFC, which won seven seats in the National Assembly at the 2006 elections.
Trotman had served as Speaker of the National Assembly in the 10th Parliament in which the AFC and APNU collectively held a majority of the seats from 2011 to 2015. The AFC went on to coalesce with the PNC-led APNU to contest and win the 2015 elections.
Under the last APNU/AFC administration, Trotman served firstly as Minister of Governance and then as Minister of Natural Resources.
The AFC said it was proud of the work that Trotman provided over the years as a valuable member of its team, and particularly, as a Member of Parliament.
“Mr Trotman has served as a Member of the National Assembly continuously from 1998 to present, and during that time, has been the 10th Speaker of the National Assembly, and served on many Standing and Select Committees including – Constitution Reform, Security, Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources, and contributed to the passage of scores of critical pieces of legislation,” it added.
During his tenure in the National Assembly, Trotman also led several parliamentary delegations to international conferences and meetings in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Peru, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Barbados, Mexico, and New Zealand, among others.
Even with his resignation, the party said, Trotman remained a vital member of the leadership of the AFC.
“Although leaving the National Assembly, Mr Trotman will remain a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the AFC and continue to provide counsel to the leadership of the AFC on a range of national and regional developments. He will also continue to render his expert counsel on the nascent oil production sector,” Wednesday’s statement detailed.

Controversial oil contract
While Natural Resources Minister, Trotman had led negotiations on behalf of Guyana and signed the controversial oil contract with US oil giant ExxonMobil, which along with its co-venturers, is operating the oil-rich Stabroek Block offshore Guyana.
In the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil, Guyana is only entitled to two per cent royalty and 50 per cent profit oil. The agreement has been heavily criticised for its low royalty, lack of ring-fencing provisions and cost oil claims that industry experts say will cause Guyana to lose billions, among other issues.
In fact, in a report by non-profit Global Witness, titled “Signed Away”, which was published in February 2020, it was noted that a new OpenOil analysis shows that Guyana forfeited some US$55 billion in what has been described as the “lopsided” 2016 oil deal.
The then APNU/AFC Government had defended its decision to sign the 2016 contract with Exxon, saying it was in Guyana’s best interest.
However, months after there was a change of Government, AFC Leader Ramjattan admitted in September of 2022 that in a bid to secure the contract to kick off operations offshore Guyana, there were several loopholes in the contract signed by Trotman.
Nevertheless, the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has contended that while the oil contract with Exxon was too generous, in the interest of pushing Guyana’s exploitation of its oil resources, it would not be renegotiating the agreement.
Instead, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has explained that Government would be moving to ensure that future oil contracts with other companies have better benefits for Guyana and its people. (G8)