FROM ‘*****FOOTING’ TO ‘EMPOWERMENT’ POLITICS
Analysis by Rickey Singh
THERE’S never a dull political moment when it comes to the antics of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to team up with the Alliance For Change (AFC) in their desperate bid to establish a common front against the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) for the coming general elections scheduled for May 11 and with dissolution of Parliament soon in matter of days. The latest bit of ‘fun politics’ is that while just a week ago APNU’s vice-chairman, lawyer Basil Williams, was openly sniping at the AFC’s “*****footing” on the issue of standing firmly on a pre-
Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan, AFC Leader
election coalition between the two parties, this past Friday, APNU’s chairman and PNC’s leader, David Granger, was boldly telling the media that his APNU team has been “empowered” to explore all options with its minority partner for a coalition.
Needless to say that basic information on this “empowerment” remains a guessing game. Which of the primary decision-making councils of either APNU or, more importantly, the PNC have actually authorised this “empowerment” for the coalition tango between the two?
Basil Williams
When and how did this “empowerment” manifest itself, as claimed by chairman Granger, considering that just some days earlier the party’s vice-chairman, Williams, was openly scoffing at its junior partner’s “*****footing” on the proposed pre-election coalition?
After all, as far as publicly known, the political ‘hodge-podge’ that’s APNU could only advance arrangements for any serious pre-election coalition with the AFC, that includes LEADERSHIP consideration, once the relevant councils of the PNC first signal approval. Was this ‘signal given? If so, when and how democratically-based, including respective regional councils?
Losing no sleep
Unless Mr. Granger is not simply indulging in the proverbial ‘kite-flying’ game then he has an obligation to offer a matured information-based statement on this “empowerment” claim, as reported, in fairness to his own party, the PNCR.
After all while, as this columnist understands it, the governing PPP is losing no sleep over the touted APNU/AFC pre-election coalition, spokesmen for APNU have been seeking to keep hope alive for such a development in sharp contrast to claims and criticisms from the top and middle ranks of the AFC.
A few high profile AFC elements have even scoffed at a PNC-led coalition, while within decision-making ranks of the PNC are those who dismiss with hilarity any notion of their party being LED by someone from the AFC-irrespective of the purse-bearers. Anyway, within one week, the eligible voters for the coming May 11 elections would have noted the sharply contrasting “*****footing” swipe of APNU’s Basil Williams’ at the AFC to the subsequent claim “of “empowerment” by his leader, David Granger, to fully explore coalition talks with that junior political ally.
As the saying goes, in party politics, all things are possible. But at the risk of being proven wrong, and ahead of the dissolution of Parliament before ‘Mashramani’ celebrations, I predict that if indeed a pre-election anti-PPP coalition does materialise, it could only be LED by what currently exists as APNU-on behalf of the PNC. To assume otherwise is to engage in political fantasy.
After all, despite the leadership stress he faces, most notably over his relationship with the crucial Region 10 PNC constituency, Mr. Granger must know that neither the young ‘turks’ nor the seasoned elders of that party would consider having the maverick AFC assume leadership of any pre-election anti-PPP coalition for the coming May 11 poll. More later.
*Rickey Singh is a Barbados-based noted Caribbean journalist.
extracted from the Guyana Chronicle
