A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU) frontbencher Africo Selman has resigned from the partnership and from the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR), citing “infighting” within the partnership.

Selman’s resignation was confirmed by APNU’s General Secretary Joseph Harmon, who also related that the resignation took effect from Thursday last, days before the dissolution of Parliament.

Selman was elevated to the front bench of APNU following the death of Deborah Backer, who, in addition to holding the post of Deputy Speaker, also held the portfolio of Shadow Foreign Affairs Minister.

Selman assumed the foreign affairs portfolio.

Her departure from the PNCR arm of the APNU bloc in Parliament is but the latest result caused by persistent infighting that has publicly marred the APNU party in recent times.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Selman debunked claims that her resignation had anything to do with being offered a diplomatic post with the incumbent administration. She pegged the blame squarely on repeated abuse from the party’s Chief Whip, Ms Amna Ally, coupled with the lack of redress on the part of the executives, including the party General Secretary Mr Oscar Clarke.

Selman said she would have made her decision some time ago, but remained quiet since her family members are staunch supporters of the PNC and she did not want to put the party in a bad light. She said that things came to a head recently when the party was hosting a function at its Headquarters, Congress Place, and Ally solicited her help and that of others in preparing for the event.

Selman, a Spanish teacher at a prominent city school, said she and her employer, who are close, would, from time to time, make contributions to the party, such as contributing to arranging such events.

According to Selman, while she neither asked nor received a positive answer from her employer in relation to contributing to the event, an illness in her employer’s family caused a delay; which led to Ally, upon enquiring, berating her over the failure to deliver.

Selman said she was verbally abused by Ally, who is known for her profuse use of expletives.

According to the APNU frontbencher, Clarke, while attempting to placate the situation, did not offer any real redress, as is the case with others.

Selman told this newspaper that the incident was but a culmination of a litany of abuses at the hands of the party’s chief whip.

“How can I represent people if I can’t speak for myself?” Selman asked.
She said that it’s a norm in the party for persons who speak out to be victimised.

She pointed to Vanessa Kissoon and her experience, and said she did not want to have a similar experience.

According to Selman, “it really hurts” to know that after dedicating that much time and service to her party, she would be treated in such a manner, with no recourse from the Executive.

During the interview with this publication, Selman recounted a number of abusive incidents involving Ally, which in part led to her decision to resign from the PNC/APNU and Parliament altogether.

Kissoon, another APNU Member of Parliament, was recently suspended from the party and disallowed from voting at the party’s most recent congress. Her suspension followed an altercation with party General Secretary Oscar Clarke over access to the party’s building in Region 10.

She was also demoted to the back bench in Parliament following the public spat.

Following the APNU announcement that it had coalesced with the Alliance For Change (AFC) to contest the 2015 general and regional elections, the AFC party has been haemorrhaging supporters, more notably its General Secretary Sixtus Edwards, and more recently a very public resignation by Attorney-at-Law Balwant Persaud.

By Gary Eleazar