Nagamootoo claims no interest in AFC Leadership

… supports Ramjattan’s constitutional breach

Alliance For Change (AFC) Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo claims he is not interested in occupying any leadership position but noted that he will be happy to continue serving as a national Executive Member of the political party.

He also indicated support of incumbent AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan running for a third term, despite such an action being considered a breach in the party’s constitution.

In the same breath, Nagamootoo expressed desires of seeing younger AFC members taking up the leadership roles in the party.

According to the outgoing Vice Chairman, this is one of the main reasons why he will not be contesting for any senior positions within the AFC, despite having been nominated.

The AFC’s National Executive Conference (NEC) opens today at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School, where there is expected to be a major shakeup in the party’s leadership structure.

Nagamootoo’s withdrawal from the race leaves the door open for either Ramjattan or AFC co-Founder Raphael Trotman to grab the highest leadership position in the party.

It also gives Ramjattan, Trotman and Executive Member Catherine Hughes a wider chance of winning the position of AFC Chairman.

“Big boy”

Nagamootoo told media operatives on Friday that he wants to “come out of narrow partisan politics at the leadership level” but supporters want him to remain in the AFC top positions.

“I didn’t go to the meeting where my region made nominations… I sent channa and I sent snacks that they asked me to send, they asked me to help out, and my wife and I who are delegates of Region Four didn’t go. I don’t want to place myself in a position where one can say I was lobbying delegates. My mere self as Prime Minister, the Prime Minister image has weight so I withdrew myself and allow the meeting to take place without my presence,” he explained.

But he said his decline to contest for the top spots in the AFC was misinterpreted.

“There was a misinterpretation of what I said which was I’d be available to serve in the Executive Committee as an ordinary member for where I can continue to give some guidance to the party. So that was interpreted to mean that Prime Minister was walking away from the party and then it had its own negative response that Prime Minister now is a ‘big boy and he ain got time for the party’… I don’t want that, that was never my intention. I want to continue to be like a guru and help to bring this party up,” he stated.

Constitution

Nagamootoo also indicated that there is nothing irregular or inappropriate with the incumbent leader running for a third term, despite such a practice is advised against in the AFC’s constitution.

“My interpretation is it is not mandatory. It says it ought to as far as possible and so if the party decides this is not the moment it ought to take place then a decision would be made and the leadership had already signalled its intention that it will not see this as mandatory and compulsory,” he stated.

He further explained that the word the AFC constitution requires a “creative and political interpretation”.

“I wouldn’t disagree with Mr Trotman, as a founder of the party. As much as possible isn’t a term that says it must happen. So there is again a lot of room for interpretation and I’m not going to shut out any interpretation. I don’t have a dogmatic approach to this issue,” he stated.

Trotman, who played a role in the design of the AFC constitution, had expressed that the leadership position should be rotated in keeping with the spirit of the party’s laws.

New blood

Despite supporting a third consecutive term for the incumbent leader, Nagamootoo said he wants the younger AFC members to take up senior positions within the party.

“I want to see fresh blood in the leadership, even if it’s incremental, one at a time,” he explained.