At Party Congress… TROTMAN TAKES WIND OUT OF AFC SAILS -- Chooses parliamentary duties over party post
Written by Leroy Smith
Saturday, 04 August 2012 23:40
Source - Guyana Chronicle
THE Alliance For Change (AFC) yesterday held its third National Delegates Conference, with party executive and House Speaker, Raphael Trotman declaring he was not interested in holding any office within that party, because of the demands of his job as Speaker of the National Assembly.
At the conference yesterday. At the head table are, from left, AFC leaders Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan and another party executive (Photos by Leroy Smith)
Said he: “I take this decision for two reasons especially: Firstly, I believe that I cannot provide the strong and steady representation and leadership that the executive and members need whilst fulfilling my duties as Speaker, because of the nature of that office of Speaker and its unending demands for time.”
He said that while he sees the need to serve his party and be actively involved in its work, it remains a hard task having to juggle between being party leader and Speaker of the National Assembly. He also said he was no longer interested in being a representative on the party’s list of candidates in the National Assembly.
Trotman, who up to late yesterday remained leader of the AFC just prior to the holding of constitutional elections, said one of his greatest fears as he formally passes on the mantle is the party continuing to operate in a hostile environment. By that he meant that there continues to be forces within and without the party who seek to destabilise and destroy the Alliance For Change.
Liberty at a price
Noting that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance, Trotman referred to what he described as attacks on the party’s executives, and the victimisation of its activists, telling delegates that he was distressed by what seems to be an internal character assassination of fellow members.
A case in point, he said, was a number of emails going the rounds that seek to discredit certain party members within the very party to which they all belonged. And what even more distressing, he said, was that this “wicked deed” was being perpetrated by persons who are not even aware of what the AFC stands for, much less why it was formed in the first place.
He said the emails at reference, which he likened to a true virus given their incendiary commentaries, work their way through the heart of the AFC membership, infecting and destroying the morale of the party, and fighting to re-orient the minds of the supporters and members that their brothers and sisters of yesterday are their enemies of today.
Those are the things, he said, that make him afraid for the future of the party, even as he urged the newly-elected executives of the party and its members and supporters to use every treatment necessary to address the problems that could eventually lead to the party being consumed.
“Let us not allow others to define our mission,” Trotman urged.
He said that at one point leading up to the conference, there was talk in the AFC camp of postponing the conference, and although he remained silent on the matter, he had questioned whether the significance of the fledgling party’s conference was understood by all.
Speaking as outgoing party leader, Trotman said the other reason for his deciding not to run for any executive position in the party was his belief that a political party, like any living organism, must be allowed to grow, adapt, and evolve continuously if it is to connect to its members and the wider society as a whole.
Trotman said that after serving as the party’s leader and presidential candidate, it was time for change.
Farewell, not goodbye
Nevertheless, Trotman assured the delegates, observers and others gathered that his refusing to occupy any executive position in the party was not his way of saying goodbye, nor was he retiring from the party he had helped to form along with Khemraj Ramjattan and the late Sheila Holder.
He said he was energised by the enthusiasm of the young people in the party, who have toiled and stood the test of time relative to the happenings within and around the AFC.
He said he remains proud that the first idea of a third party actually became a reality, to the point that those who criticised the movement at its genesis are today finding it hard to speak without mentioning the Alliance For Change.
In setting the records straight, Trotman said that while the 2011 election was an interesting one, the party needs to be reminded that it did not put its best foot forward. He added that had the party put its best foot forward, the AFC would not have in essence denied itself victory at the poll.
Trotman said that among contributory issues to the AFC’s failure to secure an outright victory at the polls were issues of trust among the leadership, financing, campaign strategy, campaign programme, misplaced personnel, and misdirection.
He told the conference that, as leader, he needed to accept responsibility for what the party failed to accomplish, but he pointed out that he was blamed for all manner of outrageous things.
He said he hoped that, someday soon, those persons would take the beams out of their own eyes and realise that the party campaign was in trouble even before it got started.
He said that while the party was experiencing dark clouds, there was the silver lining that remained. He pointed to a populace that wanted the government changed, and the joining of the AFC by several persons whom the party considered key figures. Among those, he named Nigel Hughes, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Dr. Shamir Andrew Ally, Freddie Kissoon, Dr. Simpson Da Silva, Mark Benschop, Sasenarine Singh, Richard Van-West Charles, Rajendra Bissessar, Dr. Euclid Rose, Rab Mukraj and Moses Nagamootoo.
In closing, Trotman urged the delegates to put their house in order as they prepare for the next elections, which are slated to be held in a few years’ time.
