AFC will divorce APNU if Cummingsburg Accord fails

APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate David Granger

Nagamootoo tells NY audience:

In the face of concerns that it would be conned by its coalition partner the Alliance For Change  (AFC) said it is prepared to pick up its 12 seats and walk away if there are major disagreements that go against the spirit of the Cummingsburg Accord.

These comments were made by Moses Nagamootoo to a large Indian-Guyanese audience in Queens New York Sunday evening during a fundraising event. The event was picketed by supporters of the People’s Progressive Party who described Nagamotoo as a “Nemakharan” (betrayer) and David Granger as someone with “blood on his hands”

Nagamootoo indicated that, even behind the promotion for a coalition of national unity, the AFC in trying to safeguard itself from any potential fallout between the two parties has developed the necessary provisions in the event that should happen. “The party leader Khemraj Ramjattan is saying this, we’re not saying this to big up ourselves, we’re not saying this as a threat, but we’re saying this that we hold a guarantee that if things don’t go well,” he declared.

APNU+AFC Prime Ministerial Candidate Moses Nagamootoo

The Cummingsburg Agreement, which was signed between the two parties, assured the AFC 12 seats in the 65 seat Parliament- that is 36 per cent of the combined seats by the two parties in the 10th Parliament. Nagamootoo firmly stated that if legal proceedings should follow any dispute within the coalition, then the AFC will fight to maintain their 12 seats. “… (If David Granger) and I will have to find legal proceedings for a divorce, I’m taking my property with me,” he contended.

Nagamootoo then advised that the preparations should not be taken as a threat but as a “safety net” for the AFC. “It could happen, we’re human beings but we will try to work together to build trust, to build confidence and to promote relationship that would make this thing work,” he assured. Both parties had admitted to giving up some of their demands in order to make the alliance work however, when further questioned about the demands the parties were forced to abandon during the negotiation process, the coalition declined to disclose.

During his address at the recent Babu Jaan memorial former President, Bharrat Jagdeo had lambasted the “Cummingsburg Accord”, which he said will be to the greatest disadvantage of the AFC.  He described as “naïve and desperate”, the move by the junior political Opposition party to join forces with the People’s National Congress  Reform-dominated A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and its Leader David Granger, whom he said still strongly embraced the Burnhamite philosophies of the age-old political unit.  “It must be naivety and desperation on the part of the AFC to link up with APNU, because they have betrayed all those people who were misled to believe that Ramjattan and Nagamootoo really cared about them. They care for themselves. They have secured vice president and the Prime Ministerial positions for themselves”.

Rude awakening

Jagdeo had warned that the AFC was in for a “rude awakening”, and would suffer a similar fate to that of The United Force (UF). “They are so naïve …. When the leader of the list decides who goes to Parliament and they are going to be getting a rude awakening. The UF had it in the past and they will have it because they don’t have any leverage anymore, there is no more AFC after nomination. There is PNC, one ticket… Don’t worry about the name AFC-APNU; there is one name, one list of candidates and one head of list,” Jagdeo related, continuing that if the party is thrown out of the coalition, “they can’t do anything about it because they have no leverage. It is naivety and ambition; blind ambition that cause them to even ignore sensibility,” the former President declared.

Human Development

Meanwhile, during his address to the Diaspora, Nagamootoo shared his views for human development in Guyana.  He highlighted that 25 per cent of “able-bodied people” are unemployed while roughly 26 per cent are living in extreme poverty and charged that the coalition will change that situation by providing jobs for young people. He explained that the coalition is eyeing properties in Berbice to develop into farming lands, is prepared to launch a thorough investigation into the sugar industry and is willing to establish a bank where small investors can garner capital to start their own business.

On the other hand, presidential candidate of the coalition David Granger, told the Diaspora that his plan for human development includes addressing the issue of school dropouts and focusing on the education sector. Granger also had plans for establishing development banks to assist ordinary Guyanese people with micro financing.