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Coalition seeks alliance with Shuman’s party to pull Amerindian votes

October 17, 2019

…as coalition still to decide on Granger’s running mate

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is currently in “exploratory” talks with Indigenous Leader Lenox Shuman’s party – the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – which is being seen as a move to attract Amerindian voters.

Leader of the APNU, President David Granger, on Wednesday confirmed that he has been in preliminary exploratory talks with Shuman, a former Toshao of St Cuthbert’s Mission and former Vice Chair of the National Toshaos Council.
“We’re looking for common ground, we’re looking for areas of convergence. The policy of A Partnership for National Unity is that we are inclusionary and we welcome other parties who share our objectives to develop Guyana, Guyana’s children, Guyana’s environment. Mr Shuman has given me the assurance that, you know, there are areas of convergence between the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) and what he thinks the APNU stands for,” he told reporters.

According to Granger, while Shuman is convinced that there is a wide area of convergence between the policies of the two parties, no actual agreement has been made by the two sides.
It was reported that Shuman says he will be doing a final analysis before making any decision on possibly coalescing with other parties. He has reportedly held talks with the other political parties.
He contends that his intention is not to get positions but to further development for a better Guyana. He also wants to ensure that the resources from the impending oil and gas be equally distributed among all Guyanese, especially the Indigenous people.
Despite this position, Shuman is looking to join forces with a party whose Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott back in 2017 said Amerindians were “avaricious” since they had too much land and threatened that they would not benefit from the new oil revenues –something which he still refuses to apologise for to date.
Nevertheless, the LJP and APNU are expected to meet again sometime this month.
The APNU is a five-party alliance led by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and comprises of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Justice for All Party (JFAP), National Front Alliance (NFA) and the Guyana Action Party (GAP).
The PNC-led APNU has managed to pull in most small parties in Guyana, including the country’s largest third force – the Alliance for Change (AFC) – which it coalesced with back in 2015 to get into office.
In fact, these talks between LJP and the APNU come even as the APNU is in the process of reviewing the Cummingsburg Accord, which was signed in 2015, with its minority coalition partner AFC.
“We’re multi-tasking… The APNU is looking after its relation with the Alliance for Change as well as the proposal relation with the Liberty and Justice Party,” Granger told reporters on Wednesday.
With regards to ongoing renegotiation process with the AFC, the APNU leader noted they have already completed the first step in a three-stage process, that is, agreeing to a set of joint core principles.
He previously revealed that the five partners within the APNU fraction compiled a list of core principles which included issues surrounding Indigenous affairs and cash grants from oil revenues, among others. These have been accepted by the AFC.
Going forward now, Granger said that the committee is currently at the stage of ironing the process to review the Accord. Following this, they will establish a joint manifesto for next year’s March 2 General and Regional Elections.
However, an issue that has been stirring much controversy in recent times is the APNU leader’s running mate for the upcoming polls. Granger will be returning as the APNU’s Presidential Candidate.
The Cummingsburg Accord stipulates that the APNU gets the Presidential Candidate and the AFC will provide the prime ministerial candidate. As such, the minority party has elected its leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, to run alongside Granger at next year’s elections.
But while Ramjattan and the AFC is confident that he will be running as the PM candidate, the APNU is yet to accept his candidacy. The majority coalition party said that this will have to be discussed by the two coalition partners.
According to Granger on Wednesday, this topic is yet to come up for discussion.
“It is not something that has been discussed. I pointed out, previously, that we look at principles before personalities; it is important we get the principles, and we’ve hammered out the core principles. We’re now hammering out the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord and then we’ll come to personalities in due course. We’re not in a hurry,” he asserted.
Since coming into office after joining forces with the APNU, the minority AFC has been heavily criticised for the submissive role it has been playing, especially when it comes to key national issues.

https://guyanatimesgy.com/coal...ll-amerindian-votes/

Replies sorted oldest to newest

Former Member

The PNC knows Indians don’t really matter. Indians who vote PNC are not persuaded be the #2. They vote for other reasons other than race. The PPP chose an Afro as #2 makes no difference either.

So the PNC prefer to gamble with the Amerindian vote!

11/4/197:25 AM

Former Member

Shuman would need to articulate to his supporters how the APNU will keep their promises to the Amerindians when they didn’t keep their promises to the AFC Indian supporters.

11/4/197:42 AM

Former Member

Was Shuman looking for the PM job? His best bet is to join forces with the PPP and get an honest answer as to what position they can offer him if any. I am sure he has seen the history of the PNC with UF and AFC.

11/4/198:08 AM

Former Member

Bai, he his no different from Moses. He is hungry for power and is taking his chances in light of the high possibility of PNC rigging.

11/4/198:13 AM

Former Member

Sean posted:
Bai, he his no different from Moses. He is hungry for power and is taking his chances in light of the high possibility of PNC rigging.

He would be smart to join the PPP. If the Natives decide not to vote for him and support the PPP, he can say he helped the PPP secure the Natives' votes regardless.

11/4/198:17 AM

Former Member

skeldon_man posted:
Was Shuman looking for the PM job? His best bet is to join forces with the PPP and get an honest answer as to what position they can offer him if any. I am sure he has seen the history of the PNC with UF and AFC.

Shuman will get a VP title along with minister of indigenous affairs and liaison with LATAM!

He don’t come with cane cutter baggage!

11/4/198:17 AM

Former Member

Baseman posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Was Shuman looking for the PM job? His best bet is to join forces with the PPP and get an honest answer as to what position they can offer him if any. I am sure he has seen the history of the PNC with UF and AFC.
Shuman will get a VP title along with minister of indigenous affairs and liaison with LATAM!

Didn't granger appoint like 40 VPs? What's the purpose of the title...to look good? Ask Rumjhattan.

11/4/198:19 AM

Former Member

skeldon_man posted:
Baseman posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Was Shuman looking for the PM job? His best bet is to join forces with the PPP and get an honest answer as to what position they can offer him if any. I am sure he has seen the history of the PNC with UF and AFC.
Shuman will get a VP title along with minister of indigenous affairs and liaison with LATAM!
Didn't granger appoint like 40 VPs? What's the purpose of the title...to look good? Ask Rumjhattan.

You ever check the US banks. Everyone is a VP! Its to look good! Looks matters!

11/4/198:22 AM

Former Member

skeldon_man posted:
Sean posted:
Bai, he his no different from Moses. He is hungry for power and is taking his chances in light of the high possibility of PNC rigging.
He would be smart to join the PPP. If the Natives decide not to vote for him and support the PPP, he can say he helped the PPP secure the Natives' votes regardless.

My inside sources are telling me that the PNC courted Shuman even before he formed his party. He has no intentions nor has expressed interest in joining forces with the PPP. He is taking a huge risk and if PPP can bring out their supporters to vote and cancel out the “PNC supplied” ID cards used for rigging, then he would have made a huge mistake. This buckman is not too smart !
Our resident buck Storm was beating his chest as to how Shuman was a game changer, he had to swallow his words.

11/4/198:23 AM

Former Member

skeldon_man posted:
Was Shuman looking for the PM job? His best bet is to join forces with the PPP and get an honest answer as to what position they can offer him if any. I am sure he has seen the history of the PNC with UF and AFC.

PPP Leader Bharrat Jagdeo said if any mini party wants to negotiate policies, principles and programs they are welcome. If they want to negotiate posts and offices the PPP is not available.

11/4/198:24 AM

Former Member

Well, he right. Beggars cannot be choosers. Look how Shuman showed up naked infront of Granger and the PNC to negotiate for a position.
He is lucky that the Congress Place did not ask him to bend over. He would have lost his dignity.

11/4/198:50 AM

Former Member

Sean posted:
skeldon_man posted:
Sean posted:
Bai, he his no different from Moses. He is hungry for power and is taking his chances in light of the high possibility of PNC rigging.
He would be smart to join the PPP. If the Natives decide not to vote for him and support the PPP, he can say he helped the PPP secure the Natives' votes regardless.

My inside sources are telling me that the PNC courted Shuman even before he formed his party. He has no intentions nor has expressed interest in joining forces with the PPP. He is taking a huge risk and if PPP can bring out their supporters to vote and cancel out the “PNC supplied” ID cards used for rigging, then he would have made a huge mistake. This buckman is not too smart !
Our resident buck Storm was beating his chest as to how Shuman was a game changer, he had to swallow his words.

Dude, do you believe your racist clap trap matters to anyone? Shuman following the APNU makes him completely irrelevant you trench water dunce. It also does not reflect on his intellectual soundness but on his self serving drive as all his proclamations to serve Amerindians would have been sublimated to that need.

11/4/199:51 AM

Former Member

Hopefully Shuman’s better sense prevails and he realize that his party is more powerful standing alone than being devoured by the two large parties.

11/4/1910:31 AM

NehruBig Mouth Member

Guyana is a place full of Lungeeras looking for for their self interest. The people are NOt important to them.

11/4/1910:34 AM

Former Member

ksazma posted:
Hopefully Shuman’s better sense prevails and he realize that his party is more powerful standing alone than being devoured by the two large parties.

Bai Kaz, Shuman is a coward and word is that he is bit unsure of his political future so he is buying PNC insurance.

11/4/1910:36 AM

Former Member

Sean posted:
Well, he right. Beggars cannot be choosers. Look how Shuman showed up naked infront of Granger and the PNC to negotiate for a position.
He is lucky that the Congress Place did not ask him to bend over. He would have lost his dignity.

Sheer wutlissness!!😁😁😆

11/4/1911:40 AM

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Topics

Coalition seeks alliance with Shuman’s party to pull Amerindian votes

…as coalition still to decide on Granger’s running mate

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) is currently in “exploratory” talks with Indigenous Leader Lenox Shuman’s party – the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) – which is being seen as a move to attract Amerindian voters.

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