By Fareeza Haniff

AFC Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan.

[www.inewsguyana.com] – Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan has come in for heavy criticisms from members of the public, especially some of his supporters for staying away from the rally organized by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and which was attended by AFC members.

Notably absent as well from the rally on Friday last at Square of Revolution was AFC Executive Member, Moses Nagamootoo, who was reportedly engaged in a social media meeting at the time of the rally.

In response to some of his supporters on Facebook on Sunday, November 15, the AFC Leader explained that his attendance at the rally would have been “spun and twisted by the propagandists in the PPP,” and that he did not want to be on the platform of an opposing Party.

“The liberal democratic nature of the AFC allows a subjective decision to be made by leaders and members of this Party on particular issue of importance to them. It is a sort of conscience vote on the matter.

“I personally felt that knowing how it will be spun and twisted by the propagandists in the PPP, it would not be wise to attend. My presence there also would have been inconsistent with my personal position that I will not want to be on an opposing party’s platform.                  

If the platform was say an anti-dictatorial front platform, I certainly would have been there. But that is my personal position which ought to be respected for what its worth. Other members and leaders can have their individual approaches,” Ramjattan wrote on Facebook in response to a question.

Present at the joint rally was Chairman of the AFC, Nigel Hughes and General Secretary, David Patterson, who both shared the platform with APNU’s Leader, David Granger.

Also present at the rally were Members of Parliament Cathy Hughes, Valerie Garida Lowe and Trevor Williams.

It should be noted that both Nagamootoo and Ramjattan were once members of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) but left after several disagreements.

AFC Members share the platform with members of the APNU

As of recent, there were talks of the AFC merging with the APNU, an idea which Opposition Leader Granger welcomes, but one which Ramjattan is reluctant to consider.

Ramjattan in his explanation on Facebook noted that the biggest blunder the APNU and AFC can make at this point, in their individual objective to displace the PPP, is to merge.

“Apart from the huge challenges and dilemmas which will have to be confronted and surmounted in relation to a host of administrative issues, the serious error behind such a merger will be the dissolution of the AFC in the eyes of non-supporters of APNU, largely East Indians but not exclusively them.”

He further noted, “The AFC is the only Party now in Guyana, because of our still continuing polarized, ethnicised voting patterns, which can do major destruction to the PPP strongholds!”

Ramjattan and Nagamootoo have been leading the charge with the No Confidence Motion against the government, which has since caused President Donald Ramotar to prorogue the Parliament.