AFC got more than was expected – Trotman

Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman

AFC/APNU coalition:

By Janelle Persaud

Speaker of the National Assembly and one of the Founding members of the Alliance For Change, Raphael Trotman has admitted that the minority opposition party has gotten more than they had expected during the coalition negotiations with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

He said too that despite fears that the party would be decimated should the coalition loses the election, the AFC has been assured of 12 seats in Parliament as per the Cummingsburg Accord and this is enough to help it regain itself from any fallout. Several top political commentators have already said that the AFC was able to squeeze out much more than it deserves from APNU. There have also been grumblings within APNU about the wide-ranging concession it agreed to for the AFC.

The AFC trails APNU by 19 seats in the National Assembly polling just about 10% of the votes in the last elections comparing to APNU’s 40%. However during the negotiations the AFC had insisted that it must lead the coalition and having not succeeded in wresting this from APNU they were able to field the Prime Ministerial candidate in the person of Moses Nagamootoo. In addition to being assured of 12 seats in the National Assembly, the party will be allocated two Vice Presidents both of whom will be members of the Cabinet.

Further, according to the Accord “In reflecting the thinking and commitment to and for future constitutional reform it has been agreed that the Presidency will be reorganised along the following lines; the President as Head of State, Head of Government, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and shall have responsibility for; the appointment of Constitutional Agencies and Commissions with the required and agreed democratic mechanisms of consultation and appoint; Foreign Affairs, International Relations and Non-Commercial Treaties; National Security Policy, the Defence Board, the Joint Intelligence Committee and the Guyana Defence Force.

However, if the coalition succeeds, AFC’s Nagamootoo will be responsible for running the domestic affairs of the country; Chairing Cabinet; recommending ministerial appointments and providing the organisational structures of ministries for the approval of the President. He will also appoint heads of agencies and non-Constitutional Commissions with the required and agreed democratic mechanisms of consultation and appoint. Besides, the AFC will lead the Home Affairs Ministry and will make up 40% of the Cabinet.

More than electoral strength

Political Scientist, Dr David Hinds alluded to this in one of his recent commentaries, stating that “The AFC has been allotted more than its electoral strength from the last election. This would offset the fact that it did not get the symbolic leader slot which it went into the negotiations thinking was crucial to both the success of the coalition and its own ability to convince its mainly Indian Guyanese supporters of its correctness.” Besides, the AFC has also been warned of a possible collapse if its marriage to APNU does not succeed. In an interview with Guyana Times on Monday Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran opined that the party, once considered a “third force”, stands the risk of being “wiped out” if the outcome of the elections is unfavourable. He reasoned that APNU will maintain its support base and has nothing to lose as a consequence of the coalition but noted that the AFC could lose everything. “One of the big problems would be, if the Indians would say well this is the PNC back in power and while we were prepared in 2011 to give the AFC our vote, with the expectation that the PPP/C [People’s Progressive Party/Civic] will win …we are not prepared to give you our vote if it means the PPP/C would lose the election,” Ramkarran reasoned.

However, Trotman believes that the AFC would be in a good position to recover, should such an outcome be realised. “I don’t see it (AFC) becoming a spent force or becoming a discarded entity or go the route other parties have gone because with 12 seats in Parliament you will be able to find yourself and regain your footing,” the Former Presidential Candidate stated.

Building foundation

Meanwhile, speaking on the issue of the coalition, Trotman noted that it would be beneficial for Guyana as it would be building on a foundation laid by through the mandate of the AFC. “AFC is supposed to be that bridge which would allow people to come from the right bank and the left bank of a river and meet in the middle and be able to work together,” he outlined. “I believe that the coalition is actually what Guyana needs.” For Trotman, the necessity lies in the fact that Guyana has only changed governments once in five decades, which according to him stagnates democratic growth. “Our democracy can’t develop if we don’t have a regular change of government; one term, two terms maybe but to have 28 years of one party and 23 of another is just not good enough,” he added. According to the practicing Attorney, the inclusion of members of the ruling party in this could only augur well for the nation. “I would encourage the coalition that is emerging not close the door to members of the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic if they wish to join it, so that we really have a government of national unity.”