Dear Editor,
Some years ago, I had predicted the destruction and demise of the Alliance for Change (AFC) and had predicted that the PNC would self-destruct.
In January 2022, I had written, ‘What is of public interest and continues to unfold is the greed for power, which is the trademark of the executives of PNC. Why is it that a party that wants to return to power continues to self-destruct? It is clear that, like the AFC, the PNC is now rapidly disintegrating to the point of no return, with members abandoning ship at regular intervals… The name ‘PNC’ is itself a stigma, which Guyanese would like not to even repeat, and numerous baptisms have failed to remove it.’ The name AFC now has the same effect – its top executive members are jumping ship in all directions. The names PNC and AFC are akin to the Mummy’s Curse in this country. It is clear that Norton and Hughes are now pretty lonesome. I can hear them singing the refrain, ‘There’s no one there to sing to in the end; I’m hummin’ on that lonesome song again (Jamey Johnson).’
I had also predicted that the Coalition, which primarily comprised the PNC as the major party, would die a natural death given its penchant for corruption, cronyism and lack of a socio-economic vision for the country. Undoubtedly, the AFC shares the same DNA. I made it clear that they cannot continue to bellow on hills and mountain tops about marginalisation and discrimination since their own supporters and members are faced with the stark truth that the APNU/AFC is the sinister architect and enforcer of marginalising and impoverishing its own flock. This old and obsolete mantra has outlived its usefulness. The old corruption and marginalisation mantra will not work. “Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear’ (Holy Bible).
I can recall that when the PNC’s abhorrent deeds were narrated to young Guyanese, they seldom believed and received those historical facts with varying degrees of scepticism. Fortunately, they had a first-hand view of what the PNC is capable of during the Coalition’s term in office and their rigging propensities. Now these young people are shouting ‘No More’. Dr Jagdeo put this aptly when he stated that the APNU/AFC ‘attempted to steal a whole country’ in full view of the world.
Today these youths are convinced, and our people do not pledge blind allegiance to any political party; the party they voted for must deliver on its manifesto and promises to the people. The PPP/C has delivered from Day 1, and Guyanese of all walks of life have witnessed this. In fact, the PPP/C delivered beyond its manifesto promises. The PPP/C does not pay scant and flippant regard to this sacred agreement between the Party and the people, unlike the APNU/AFC.
The PPP/C’s socio-economic programmes do not make exceptions for any race, class, or ethnic grouping, and supporters of the PNC and the AFC are not blind to this fact. President Ali’s One Guyana initiative is not mere vacuous rhetoric, but his government is meaningfully pursuing its major objective of uniting the Guyanese people. The magnitude of this massive effort is unprecedented and is greatly successful. Therefore, the great exodus of the PNC and AFC members and supporters is not accidental but a consequence of the inclusive policies of the PPP/C. Today, when high-profile members of the PNC and AFC are embracing President Ali and the PPP/C in massive numbers, they are attacked and condemned in the vilest of terms. But these con-artists from the APNU and AFC should know that they cannot fool all the people all the time. “Dis time na lang time”, as the song goes. Anyone who wants to entertain the thought of a third party should do a study of the AFC.
The PPP/C has the Midas touch, whilst the PNC and the AFC have the opposite of that touch. The masses have witnessed the numerous times when the PNC and then its partner in crime, the AFC, have destroyed this beautiful land. Therefore, the Guyanese people are now saying in unison, ‘The days for partisan politics are over: either deliver or be kicked out.’
