AFC, APNU square off over flopped Berbice protest
November 20, 2014 By
AFC protestors in front of the Regional Administrative Complex at Fort Wellington on Monday
– Berbicians warned APNU about AFC
The Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) leaders in Berbice have squared off following a flopped protest organised by the AFC on Monday against President Donald Ramotar’s prorogation of Parliament.
The poorly attended protest in front of the Regional Administrative Complex at Fort Wellington, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) was not attended by any APNU supporters even though they were reportedly invited by the AFC organisers.
AFC youth leader Mark Ross was quoted as saying that APNU was invited to participate in the exercise, but “They didn’t come”.
Speaking with Guyana Times on Wednesday, Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) (the controller of APNU) Region Five activist Carol Joseph on Wednesday expressed displeasure at the comment made by Ross that the party was not invited to participate in the protest.
Joseph said she was sent a text message from Ross about the event. “Can you mobalise some people to come join us for the protest? It’s for 07:45h in front of the RDC office,” the message read.
That message, Joseph said was received at 16:11h on Sunday afternoon.
According to Joseph, she had no information on the purpose of the protest.
Have to consult
“If I had to do anything, I would have to first consult with the party leaders first and they would have wanted to know what was the exercise about and what sort of banners were going to be displayed.”
According to Joseph, the PNC, the heart of APNU, does not operate in an any how manner, but she acknowledged that she did not pass on the text message to her party colleagues.
The PNC activist was also surprised that the AFC youth leader would seek to get the support of APNU when he had been critical of the PNC.
According to her, Ross on a television programme in Berbice on Saturday night was very scathing of the PNC.
“I was skeptical to mobilise anyone because he was bam basing the PNC on TV,” a very animated Joseph said.
Meanwhile, a Berbician who requested anonymity said at the recent APNU rally at the Square of the Revolution, only Nigel Hughes of the AFC was prominent.
“… APNU only caters for one ethnic group,” the man claimed, pointing out that APNU not showing up at the Region Five protest should not be something hurtful to the AFC.
Another Berbician Paul Austin said the AFC treats APNU with disdain, even accusing their members of being capable of being bought. AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan had said that he had information that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) is trying to buy out three APNU members for $30 million each. Austin said, even with these outlandish claims, the AFC still expects the coalition to walk hand in hand with them.
“Look what happen with the Local Government thing when APNU was trying to push it in Parliament, the AFC did not support it because they want General Elections. AFC don’t want Local Government Elections because they would not gain anything from it.
“The AFC is only thinking about power and it look like when they get power they gon sabotage the PNC members,” Austin added.
Another Berbician Bibi Lalbachal in an invited comment on the flopped Region Five protest said the AFC should learn to stand on its own and not depend on another group for support.
“If they do it under the AFC, then the AFC will get all the praise or blame. But frankly, I don’t see any sense in what they trying to do. They need to meet with the President and discuss the issues affecting us the Guyanese people.”
