President David Granger is unfazed by coalition minority partner Alliance for Change’s (AFC’s) decision that it would contest the Local Government Elections (LGE) on its own. According to the head of state, this will not impact the coalition.
He made this comment at the sidelines of an event on Monday. Asked directly by the media whether he was concerned by the development, the president replied in the negative. According to the president, the coalition will still be a feasible option for 2020.
“We did exchange some memorandum, and the APNU had drafted its own core principles, and we submitted those principles to the AFC for consideration. It’s an internal decision within the AFC, and we respect that decision; and the AFC, I think, respects the decision within the APNU.
“It is my view that both the AFC and APNU remain committed to coalition politics, and this will in no way damage the prospects of our two parties moving to the general and regional elections. This is entirely a local matter… a party political matter. But we do not feel that the coalition is in jeopardy,” Granger added.
At a post-Cabinet press briefing also on Monday, Minister of State Joseph Harmon gave a bit more insight into what those core principles are. According to Harmon, these amounted to APNU’s expectations in order to go to the polls with the AFC.
“Representation, nomination, organisation, mobilisation and communication… each of these in the communication with the AFC, the APNU elaborated that these are the principles APNU would require for joint APNU/ AFC participation in Local Government Elections.”
In its statement, the AFC had said this separation applies only for the 2018 Local Government polls, and “does not, in any way, affect the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, nor does it, in any way, change the AFC’s position on coalition politics at the national level. The AFC remains, and reaffirms that it is committed to, the APNU/AFC Coalition.”
“The AFC is in full preparation mode for LGE, including hosting meetings in the various constituencies and identifying potential candidates who will be subject to a rigorous internal vetting process before official appointment. Candidates will be addressing the local issues which are of concern to citizens, and working collaboratively to find practical and implementable solutions,” Sunday’s missive stated.
It further outlined that the AFC would soon determine which municipalities and constituencies it would strategically contest, as it does not envision contesting in each Neighbourhood Democratic Council and in every constituency of all municipalities, until subsequent election cycles.
Following its decision, the party’s management committee has since resolved into the LGE Campaign Committee, and is chaired by Executive Member David Patterson, who has been appointed Campaign Director. Additionally, Juretha Fernandes has been appointed Deputy Campaign Director, while appointments to other positions will be done subsequently.
Unimpressed
In the aftermath of the AFC’s release, the People’s Progressive Party has remained unimpressed. In a release of its own, the PPP stated that since the AFC’s coalition with the APNU in 2015, the AFC has adopted inconsistent, flip-flopping and deceptive political postures as it struggles to survive as a relevant political force.
“We have seen how it flip-flopped on many issues in the past, including the parking meter contract, VAT on education, the sugar industry; and even before they entered into the coalition, Khemraj Ramjattan is on public record saying that the AFC will never enter into a coalition with the APNU/PNC, because if it does so, it will be “dead meat,” the PPP posited.
On February 14 last, the APNU and AFC celebrated their 3rd year anniversary since signing the “lovers’ deal”.
However, the AFC of recent has come under fire for the submissive role it has been playing since joining forces with the APNU. In fact, the top leadership of the AFC had decided back mid-November to revise its governing agreement with its majority coalition partner. The Cummingsburg Accord has a lifespan of a minimum of three years and maximum of five years, and was focused primarily on the General and Regional Elections.
To this end, the AFC had proposed as part of the nine points up for negotiation with its coalition partner that an agreement on LGE be crafted. In fact, the minority coalition partner detailed some of its positions for negotiation in the LGE Accord. The AFC’s NEC, after a May 1 meeting, had allowed additional time for the two coalition partners to have a definitive written agreement in the form of a Local Government Elections Accord.