Dear Editor,
I was the Secretary of AFC for four years, and the Prime Minister’s Representative for five years, in Region Two during the “coalition Government”.
I came to realise, by rude awakenings, that the PNCR was not interested in power-sharing, as they boasted about, but domination and dictatorship. What they did in the 1960s was to use the UF, by giving Peter D’Aguiar the Minister of Finance portfolio, to collate and form the Government through the Proportional Representation electoral system. The means had justified the end for Burnham then. Thereafter Burnham changed the Constitution, and rigged consecutive elections, to prevent coalition after elections, depriving the PPP and other political parties from governing.
Fast forward to 2015, the PNCR used the AFC and other parties to collate before the elections in order to oust the PPP/C Government. It succeeded, then sidelined the AFC, using them as a doormat to be walked over. Every Government Ministry headed by an AFC Minister had a PNCR Junior Minister as an underdog to monitor. The same was not reciprocal for PNCR Ministries.
The meeting to plan the election campaign in 2020, in Region Two, held at State House, Anna Regina, was chaired by Annette Ferguson, a Junior Minister and PNCR member who is not from Region Two. The default Minister of Business, a Senior Minister, and AFC Executive Member had no campaign position (he appeared satisfied with this since he is not a boat-rocker and accepts everything) since the deputy campaign manager was another PNCR member.
At the meeting, I asked the campaign manager several times if there was no co-campaign manager but she evaded this question till we got to know that there was none. We had expected the Minister of Business – an Executive Member of the AFC – would have been the co-campaign manager, but the PNCR would have none of that and sidelined the AFC. Except for myself and two AFC Regional Councillors, all other members of PNCR and AFC sat there as we were relegated, while we walked out in protest.
Editor, during the five years of the coalition Government, I, as AFC Secretary for Region Two, wrote numerous letters, hard copies of which I have sent to our AFC leaders about sidelining of the AFC by the PNCR. I complained, on behalf of our members, about hiring practices (employment opportunities), exclusion: from outreaches, heritage celebrations, Tender Board, Regional Standing Committees; harassment by PNCR REOs. Responses from our AFC leaders were without answers, just acknowledgment or a mere nebulous “All matters have been fully ventilated”.
The PNCR was planning to rig elections and go back to the dictatorial days of Burnham and bring back National Service. When I told the “Ambulance Chaser”, non-esteem AFC layer, mentioned hereinabove as MOB that people were raped in National Service, he asked me if I saw any rape. Any lawyer of competence would know that apart from direct evidence, there is circumstantial evidence, medical evidence (now linked by DNA proof), and victim testimony. No wonder people hire competent councils from the capital city.
When I told a PNCR member that we would be a one-term Government due to non-performance, he told me twice that they would rig the elections, not realising the other nations would not allow that to happen.
Editor, AFC is now “dead meat”, cannot be resuscitated or resurrected, and cannot help the PNCR to govern again. AFC leaders were feathering their nests—with gold bangles, expensive furniture, and self-serving contracts—and the PNCR was taking note and waiting to boot them out. I know that they will tarnish me with their sour grape responses, but “the truth hurts”.
The done deal is that the PPP/C will govern Guyana for a long time and better the lives of Guyanese
Yours truly,
Karan Chand
