FORMER Prime Minister in the People’s National Congress Government and serving Mayor of Georgetown, Hamilton Green is of the opinion that the Alliance For Change (AFC) is not prepared for a coalition or an alliance of any kind.He also claimed that he has put a proposal to the AFC that may be more workable than their proposal being negotiated with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Speaking on the weekend programme Hard Talk hosted by Christopher Chapwanya, Green said: “I don’t know that the AFC leadership is quite ready to make that leap. I have talked to some of them and I have proposed to them in writing another modus which I wouldn’t want to reveal at this time and it may be that the proposal I made at the end of the day will have to be used.”

Green while acknowledging that a collation of the Opposition parties may be necessary to defeat the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) at the upcoming elections said that the APNU may still be able to win the Government on its own. He opined that Granger is the only person who should lead any collation as he attracts young people to the party and has been elected to lead the party in a democratic process. This is in total contrast to reports following both internal elections of the PNC which saw Granger emerge as leader. Both the PNC internal elections held since former Party Leader Robert Corbin resigned have been marked by allegations of impropriety and disenfranchisement by members.
INT’L ENVIRONMENT
Chapwanya engaged Green on a number of issues which included the allegations of rigged elections during the 28 years reign of the Burnham- dominated PNC Government. The former Prime Minister defended the actions of the then Government claiming that “the international environment determined their action at that time” and that they should not be judged by today’s standards.
Dismissing the development over the last two decades as cosmetic Green said that while material things are important, it is not everything as there is widespread moral degradation and people are not safe – “so people have cars – there are a lot of secondhand cars so what” was his reply.
He stated that many of the people are depending on illegal activities to survive and the educational and health systems have collapsed. He pointed to Carifesta as one of the great examples of the success of the PNC administration that cannot be sustained today.
Green was a Minister in the PNC Government and was the serving Prime Minister in 1992 when the PNC lost what was touted to be the first free and fair election in a number of years.
CONTRABAND GOODS
A check of the daily Chronicle newspapers in 1980 to get an idea of what obtained in the country during the time Green was referring to under the then PNC shows the Guyana Chronicle (GC) on December 1, 1980 reported “Police seize more contraband goods”, these “goods” included corned beef, sardines, onions and potatoes. The occupants of the house were reported to have abandoned the house and fled at the sight of the police. On December 3, 1980 the same paper reported that “hopes for improved electricity for Christmas with the arrival of fuel was setback because of the breakdown of one of the main generating sets at Kingston.”
And a letter by an A. Mc Allister captioned: “Do we really need television?” states “Sixty percent of the country does not have electricity and the other forty percent ensure they are never out of candles.” That month also saw widespread flooding on the coast and in the city of Georgetown.
Green during the programme assured that he will not quit as he lambasted Town Clerk, Carol Sooba, claiming that she suffered from a psychological disorder and was forced on the council by the Local Government Minister. Green who turned 80 years recently served as a Minister in the Burnham Government and was appointed Prime Minister in 1985 in the Desmond Hoyte Government on the death of Burnham.

EXPELLED
Green was expelled from the PNC in 1993 by then party leader Desmond Hoyte. He formed his own party (Good and Green Guyana) and contested the 1994 Local Government election, winning in Georgetown and being elected mayor. He has, since the death of Hoyte, been reintegrated into the party and is expected to be a candidate on the 2015 list.
The PNC happens to be the major entity but not the only one and that must be emphasised during the elections.

(By Raymon Cummings)