The snake in the grass
THE present coalition between AFC and APNU did not materialise because of the no-confidence motion or the prorogation of Parliament but it was a well-orchestrated move by Raphael Trotman and his APNU acolytes to get APNU into power.In this process, Khemraj Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo became mere pawns in the power struggle, their lust for power and vengeance made them blind to the crafty manoeuvrings of Trotman. They were willing to go along once their petty desires can be fulfilled. They believed that they will all end up in a win-win situation.
Mr Trotman never officially left the membership of the PNC and is a member of APNU. He co-founded the AFC with Ramjattan as a front to split the PPP votes and to usher in the PNC but this failed because the PPP/C ended up with the majority in 2006. Trotman was the AFC’s Presidential candidate then.
However, after the 2011 Elections, with Ramjattan as the AFC’s Presidential candidate, the AFC managed to clinch the one extra seat needed to give the combined Opposition the majority they needed to create havoc and mayhem in Parliament and to force the PPP/C to abort its term and call fresh elections. APNU in 2011, had to seal this new dispensation in their favour so they refused to install Nagamootoo as the Speaker of the House. Granger made it clear that Nagamootoo ‘cannot be trusted’. This was no accidental emotional outburst, they wanted Raphael Trotman because he was one of them, he can be trusted to stay on course to depose of the PPP from government.
Mr Trotman, as the Speaker should have been impartial but every Monday night he would have clandestine meetings with APNU and AFC executives and instruct and advise them as to what they should be doing in Parliament the following day. They met at Cathy Hughes Office. This was the ritual week after week.
I have been reliably informed that the coalition was initiated by Trotman and he was the one who drafted the relevant documents relating to the coalition and at the moment he is the campaign coordinator for the AFC/APNU coalition. He is the chief architect of the coalition.
Trotman is to the PNC what Moses is to the PPP. Trotman always wanted to be in the leadership. It must be recalled that Trotman fought Desmond Hoyte for the leadership of the PNC and in 2008, at the AFC conference held at Perry Hotel, he did not want to accede to the rotation principle with regard to the presidential candidate and leadership of the AFC. He became so annoyed afterwards that he said that he will resign from politics in order to pursue a spiritual quest. He had to be cajoled into accepting the Prime Ministerial candidacy. It was at this Conference that Ramjattan received the support of ex-executive members who have now resigned from the AFC and was instrumental in Ramjattan be given the Presidential candidacy. Yet these members have been side-lined thanks to the tenacity and hard-work of Raphael Trotman!
He did not forget that these people supported Ramjattan against him. What a schemer! The coalition now has two snakes, can you now guess their names?
Mr Sixtus Edwards, the former General Secretary of the AFC made mentioned of cronyism, and I will elaborate on a few examples. After the 2006 elections, Shantelle Smith, the female friend of Trotman was duly rewarded with the post of Member of Parliament and after this was revealed, Smith resigned and the vacancy was filled by Mrs Punalall. Also David Patterson became a Member of Parliament simply because he is a relative of Trotman. Hard-working members such as Gerhard Ramsaroop and others did not stand a chance. Later on, in 2012, David Patterson was rewarded with the GS position since Mr Edwards was too principled and preached accountability and was a stickler with regard to the Constitutional provisions enshrined in the AFC’s Constitution.
Edwards will not fit in the scheme of things which will be implemented in the near future. He was an impediment and had to be removed in order make the deviation from the AFC founding principles easier and the transition be made with little or no resistance.
No wonder Trotman was in Berbice on Thursday trying to sell the coalition to Berbicians. He lauded the PNC’s achievements under the Hoyte’s Administration and though he accepted that ‘some bad things happened’, the AFC now knows what went wrong and can correct them. He gave the Berbicians a guarantee that the AFC will not be taken over by the PNC but he failed to make mention what happened to the UF after the 1964 coalition.
Peter D’Augiar had to resign and the remaining UF ministers were bought by Burnham and that was the end of the UF. He was so comical when he said that if the coalition does not go well Ramjattan will move a no-confidence vote against the PNC and APNU! I cannot imagine the length that these people will go to fool our people in Berbice. Then he assured the Berbicians that, ‘we are not going to cheat you’. This man is so shameless! Every single day the AFC has been cheating its members and supporters and yet this man is again chanting the same mantra. The AFC has not only cheated its supporters but it has deceived and sold them out to the PNC on a platter.
Then he stated that they will hold each other accountable when they are given power and that Ramjattan is ‘a no-nonsense man’. This is so laughable! I have spoken and written exhaustively about the corrupt practices of ‘the AFC Gang’ and this has been confirmed and corroborated by both Mr Edwards and Mr Balwant Persaud.
Lastly, Trotman exhorted Berbicians ‘not to look into the rear view mirror’ in an effort to erase the past. Mr Trotman should know that for his own safety, that of his passengers and the general public, a driver must consult his ‘rear view mirror’ at times!
Beware of the devious puppeteer! AFC will be dissolved soon!
HASEEF YUSUF
AFC Councillor, Region 6
extracted from the Guyana Chronicle