Guyanese should ensure AFC gets a proper funeral

Dear Editor,
The Alliance for Change recently announced that they would be going to the Local Government Elections 2018 alone, without A Partnership for National Unity, to prove that they are not dead. There is an old saying, “Post mortem can’t bring back the dead”, this is actually referring to the Alliance for Change trying aggressively to resurrect from an already dead political party.
The Opposition Leader and General Secretary of the PPP, Cde Bharrat Jagdeo, has shared his experiences, where AFC members publicly confessed that their principles was sold by the leadership of the AFC for a few leaders to enjoy the “good life”.
At a meeting in Fyrish, Corentyne, at which Cde Bharrat Jagdeo was present, a longstanding member of the AFC said he was offered a portion of the road shoulders contract in Region Six in return for him remaining in the AFC, but he refused to be part of the corrupt coalition Government. He also said all the membership of the AFC realise their mistakes and have recommitted their support for the PPP.
Coalitions are traditionally very strained and unstable relationships. The most detrimental facts about coalitions is that they have to sell out the party’s principles to ensure leaders such as Nagamootoo, Ramjattan, Patterson, Trotman et al enjoy the good life; and as such, the main reasons why the AFC is dead or highly unpopular with voters and supporters is that they cannot take a stand against the coalition leader, President David Granger, because of the danger of being ditched.
Many coalition governments have failed. Switzerland is the only exception in Europe, with a permanent coalition Government by means of its seven-member Federal Council elected for a fixed four-year term by Federal Assembly on a party proportional basis.
Many European democracies can be measured by the average life span of governments. According to an estimated score, Germany has been 37 months, Italy 13 months, Belgium 22 months, and the Netherlands 27 months. Guyana also was part of a failed coalition Government, and now history is repeating itself.
Politicians use the coalition name to safeguard their vested political interests, which means that the APNU/AFC coalition Government has failed to deliver on almost all its promises to the Guyanese people, but ensure that the leadership enjoys maximum benefits.
AFC is dead. Guyanese should ensure that they have a proper funeral.

Regards,
Zamal Hussain