CRACKS IN ANTI-PPP ELECTORAL FRONT

Analysis by Rickey Singh

IT seems that with the passing of every month, if not week, Guyana’s main parliamentary Opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), is now experiencing recurring problems to conceal its internal differences  and, consequently, less likely to attain its stated goal to defeat the incumbent People’s Progressive Party (PPP) at the snap general elections expected early this year.

Leader of the Opposition, David Granger

Comprising the country’s major opposition party, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the small Alliance For Change (AFC) and the minor Working People’s Alliance (WPA), the coalition had together secured a one-seat majority over the PPP at the November 2011 general election for the 65-member National Assembly, winning 33 to the incumbent’s 32. Maintaining firm stubbornness against any cooperation with the administration of first-term President Donald Ramotar, a former long-serving General Secretary of the PPP,

Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, AFC Leader

right up to prorogation of the Parliament last year, APNU was caught napping by a surprised presidential broadcast announcement last November 10 on prorogation of the Assembly to give, said the  Head of State, a chance of success to rounds of dialogue between the Government and Opposition before resumption of a new session of Parliament. Strange as this process of reasoning by the President may have appeared, it was a further reflection of the divisive nature of party politics in Guyana where, prior to the return of the PPP to governance of the country in 1992, the PNC had consecutively controlled the reins of state power for a quarter of century based on documented electoral fraud. Slashing annually of national budgets, involving both current and capital expenditures, with their combined one-seat majority became the norm for the Opposition amid ongoing political conflicts, in and out of parliament, involving at times, court interventions with the Government managing to continue achieve successes in securing financial aid and progress in economic development, as documented by regional and international institutions. However, a few major Government legislative and development projects suffered in the ongoing political confrontations without, fortunately, any significant political disturbances to affect national stability and the rule of law. However, during the last quarter of 2014 when APNU and AFC opted to be more vigorous in their opposition to the Government in anticipation of dissolution of Parliament for a snap election they, ironically, may have succeeded in exposing more of their own internal disunity and weakness than pushing—as expected—the Government on  the defensive.

Two examples Two relevant examples could suffice for now: First, the decision of the combined Opposition to hold what was promised as a “mass rally” against the government in Georgetown, traditional stronghold of the PNCR—that failed to produce any significant response of much more than one thousand, as reported by the local media.

Of related significance was the absence of some leading political personalities of both APNU and AFC either on the speakers’ platform or in mingling with the crowd. Worse, subsequently a much publicised declaration by the leadership of APNU and AFC for a “massive” rally in the week of Christmas shockingly failed to occur. There was more surprisingly bad political news to flow: With the Christmas holidays over and the dawning of 2015, APNU’s chairman and leader of the PNCR, David Granger, a retired Brigadier of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), opted to go public with his deep disappointment over the continuing double-speak by the AFC on formation of a structured coalition in preparation for a united political front against the PPP at the coming snap general election that could be held by mid-year, if not earlier. It is not due before November 2016. As reported in yesterday’s ‘Guyana Times’ Granger accused the AFC (whose leader is Khemraj Ramjattan, lawyer by profession and a defector from the PPP) of p..... footing on coalition talks.” He told a media conference on Friday at the Opposition Leader’s office that he was still awaiting from the AFC some precise information pertaining to what that party really wants to be discussed as an agenda for a suggested “pro-democracy alliance.” The reality is that while the PNCR, AFC and what expediently functions currently under the umbrella of APNU may be firmly united in their opposition to the governing PPP, they would have much difficulties in arriving at a consensus on the formation of their anti-PPP alliance in time for the coming 2015 general elections. Time will tell. At present there are NO calls from any established organisation or civil society body for such a political alliance.

*(Rickey Singh is a Barbados-based noted Caribbean journalist.)