WPA not bothered by criticisms about its “outspokenness”

Even after publicly criticising the coalition Government for sidelining the political unit, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) said it is not mindful about the backlash it is receiving for voicing its deep displeasure.
The party is also sure that its expressions about the state of affairs within the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition will in no way “influence the atmosphere” when the five-member grouping meets for talks later this month.
WPA Executive member Tacuma Ogunseye said the WPA has a right and responsibility of sharing its deepest concerns.
“Stating our concerns publicly is important for public education, to lift the consciousness of the constituency. We believe that whether or not the other side of the discourse is offended by that, is not a big problem for us. Politically we are doing the correct thing,” Ogunseye told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday.
Ogunseye said the WPA is dealing with comrades who are mature and have been in the business for quite a while and “I don’t think that will be a major issue that would influenced the environment of the talks,” he told reporters at the party’s press conference on Tuesday.
According to the party stalwart, if anything tangible is to come out of the talks the WPA has to be very frank, not only in the private discourse but the public domain. He said politics is important to the masses of a country and the people must be able to follow the polemics.
The party is scheduled to meet later this month with representatives of the Guyana Action Party (GAP), the Justice for All Party (JFAP), the National Front Alliance and the People’s National Congress (PNC), all members of the APNU to continue discussions on the way forward for the WPA and the coalition.
Last month when the WPA had raised concerns of being sidelined by the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government, President David Granger had expressed concern that the party had taken internal matters outside. The WPA said that from all indications, it, along with other units of the coalition, has been put on the back burner.
Meanwhile, WPA Executive member, Dr David Hinds also reiterated that his party was not concerned about its openness.
“We have no fear of those who criticise us and say we are bringing party business outside; we don’t belong to some party called the APNU. The APNU is a partnership that includes individual parties”. He said when the coalition charter was signed; the WPA never stated that it will give up its rights.
“We compromised in the last two years in the interest of bringing about some kind of consensus on the way forward. We are now signalling to the country that we are no longer pursuing that course of action and we are going to be very outspoken,” he said.
He said it is a matter of political culture and identity, noting that the WPA has come out of a different culture and identity. In that regard, he said his party does not believe that the business of government should be made private unless it is in keeping with national security.
“The business of Government is public, because the decisions taken by Government affect people and people must know of those decisions before they are made and so the WPA believes in the open word, which is an important aspect of democratic involvement in the democratic process.”
He said the WPA wants to bring back a public discourse about Government.