DESPITE claims from Opposition Leader, David Granger, that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) + Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition is “the best thing that ever happened to Guyana,” Co-campaign coordinator Raphael Trotman is of the opinion that the coalition “is not going to be the perfect union.” This echoing declaration was made yesterday at a joint APNU+AFC press conference held at the coalition’s campaign Headquarters, Crown Street, Queenstown, where Trotman further added that both parties were positive and comfortable heading to the May 11 General and Regional Elections.

According to the campaign coordinator who is also former speaker of the National Assembly, he has seen the “chemistry” between presidential candidate of the coalition, David Granger and prime ministerial candidate, Moses Nagamootoo as the political atmosphere intensifies.
“I have seen the chemistry between Mr. Nagamootoo and Mr. Granger; they are comfortable together,” Trotman told reporters yesterday, adding that the two politicians were even schooled together which builds their compatibility as a working unit.
Acknowledging that “a lot has been said about Granger” over the last few weeks, as the political climate heats up, Trotman noted that in all his years and experience dealing with Granger and even other members of APNU, including Joseph Harmon, he [Trotman], “has no reason to doubt” that the formation of the coalition will be a success, in the face of elections.
He continued however, that it is inevitable for the coalition to experience difficulties and challenging times. “There will be challenging times, but we’re resolved to going past that,” Trotman said.
Adding to his self defeating rhetoric, he further disclosed that “It’s not going to be a perfect union and I don’t want to sell the idea that all is well.”
In their bid to oust the current People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, the APNU and AFC signed the “Cummingsburg Accord” of February 14 of this year, a move former President Dr. Bharat Jagdeo has said will be to the greatest disadvantage of the AFC.
“They [the AFC] are so naïve…. When the leader of the list decides who goes to Parliament, they are going to be getting a rude awakening. The United Force had it in the past and they [too] 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 [the] 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 caused them to even ignore sensibility,” the former President added.