BRIGADIER (rtd) David Granger, leader of the Main Opposition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), last month indicated that there might be a possibility of the Alliance for Change (AFC) joining forces with his Party, a coalition of several political factions.

And weighing in on the matter of a likely joining of forces, People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General-Secretary, Mr. Clement Rohee, said such a move would certainly arouse the interest of the voting public.
“Any pre-electoral alliance between these two rather strange bed-fellows would be of interest to the general public,” he said. “They will have to determine whether it will be to their detriment or their advantage politically.”

‘Any pre-electoral alliance between these two rather strange bed-fellows would be of interest to the general public. They will have to determine whether it will be to their detriment or their advantage politically’

Rohee declined to comment further on the matter, particularly the PPP’s position on such an eventuality.
All he said was: “We have our own views; whether they come together or not, the Party will respond to that in due time.”
At least three former members of the AFC, the minority Opposition party represented in the National Assembly, up to last September, had indicated that they wanted the AFC to align itself with the APNU for the next general elections, but the suggestion was not entertained.
This is according to the Chairman of the AFC’s New York and New Jersey Chapter, Dr. Rohan Somar. In a statement released to the media at the time, Dr. Somar said that the last three persons to resign from the party – Professor Tarron Khemraj, Professor Euclid Rose and Rab Mukhraj – were in favour of an APNU alliance, but made it clear that this was against the founding principles of the AFC.
Prior to this, last April, the AFC made clear that it will remain an independent party – a position it has not, to date, publicly recanted.

(Vanessa Narine)