Corbin likely to join APNU-AFC campaign

February 22, 2015, Source - Guyana Chronicle

FORMER People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, Robert Corbin might hit the campaign trail as the A Partnership for National Unity-Alliance For Change (APNU-AFC) alliance seeks to extend its control over the National Assembly.APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon said the seasoned former PNCR Leader is a vital resource to bolster the APNU-AFC alliance chances of getting into power.

“We do not exclude anybody, in fact, you see the PPP bringing back Jagdeo and all these people for their campaign; we too are going to utilise all of our resources at our disposal. So Mr Corbin and everybody else from the APNU that have that talent that can come out there and help to motivate our people and get them out there to vote, we are going to utilise them. So Mr Corbin and any other member of APNU or the parties in APNU have a role to play and we encourage all of them to come out because this is going to be a push and an important time in the history of the country. We will require the collective energy of all of our people,” he said.

FIGHTS

Corbin was recently asked by the PNCR leadership to settle the disgruntlement of Lindeners following the party’s 18th Biennial Congress last year. Lindeners had complained that they were disenfranchised at the leadership elections, claiming that it was a fraud.

At the end, party leader David Granger prevailed over former Executive Aubrey Norton amid gunshot, rancour and loud protest. The Lindeners were also upset over the suspension of Linden party Coordinator Vanessa Kissoon after she refused to hand over the keys to the party’s facilities in Linden following a demand from General Secretary Oscar Clark.

Kissoon was subsequently replaced by Sandra Adams, but before that, she was removed as an APNU front bencher in Parliament, making way for new comer, Dr Sandra Cummings.

GOOD WORK
According to Harmon, Corbin met with the restive Lindeners, listened to their concerns and was able to bring them together.

“I can say to you now that based on the excellent work that he did, we have been able to start moving our Linden campaign forward. The campaign team has been named and Mr Sharma Solomon (Region 10 Chairman) has been named Campaign Director and the issue as it relates to party matters, those are also being addressed and it will not affect the way we move our campaign in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice),” the APNU General Secretary told reporters on Friday.

Meanwhile, the APNU-AFC alliance in a statement on Friday said they pledge to lead Guyana forward into a new era of accountability, human safety, financial probity, governmental transparency, parliamentary democracy and national unity, among other things.

The coalition partners promised that, with the formation of a Government of national unity, they would implement a programme of governance, the main elements of which will be Constitutional reform; Economic development; financial legislation (the passage of the Anti Money-Laundering and Countering the financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill which they did not support in the 10th Parliament and the establishment of a Public Procurement Commission); the announcement of a date for Local Government Elections; introduction of a programme for healing, reconciliation and social integration; a comprehensive review of current taxation policies, including the Value-Added Tax; a review, restructuring and liberalisation of the telecommunications and information sectors; sustained improvement of crime prevention and the security environment; the reorganisation of the education, health, sports, recreation and other human service sectors; and the establishment of a comprehensive youth programme.