By Alva Solomon

“COALITION politics is here to stay”. Those were the words that resonated among speakers when the Alliance For Change (AFC) officially opened its “Centre for Change” headquarters at Railway Line, Kitty in Georgetown on Saturday evening.

The occasion was graced by the presence of many, including President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, members of the Cabinet and members of the diplomatic corps.
The event was dedicated to the memory of founding member of the AFC, the late Mrs Sheila Holder, and was addressed by President David Granger and party executives.

President Granger described the event as a transformative one. He mentioned the importance of the parties uniting to form the APNU/AFC alliance, which won last year’s general elections and ousted the PPP from office after a 23-year rule.

He said the parties merged because they were all concerned about the future. “This coalition is about the future; what Guyana would be like in the years to come”, the President noted.

This year, the country celebrates its 50th Independence Anniversary, and in reminiscing, the President admitted that lots of mistakes were made, but he noted that “we are not standing still.”

He said the country is moving forward because the citizens have developed a sense of cohesion and solidarity; “a sense of nationhood to combine the energies of their people.”

“Guyana is the most bountiful (and) the most beautiful country in the Caribbean,” the Head of State said as he noted the country’s failure to develop its resources. “And to make our people happier has largely been a failure of national unity”, he declared.

“Within the Coalition, we do not seek to obliterate the view of any component. It is our commitment as a coalition to make sure that the people will always come first above personal interest, even above party interest. We have been able to create a vision for Guyana in which the national interest will prevail.” – APNU Leader, President David Granger

He described the AFC as being a critical part of the Government, noting that establishment of the coalition is a step towards creating national unity. “That is going to allow us to tap into our resources and move this country further forward faster than we have been able to in the past,” he noted.

The Head of State noted that the AFC opening its headquarters is a step in concretizing the structure and work of one of the most important elements of the coalition. “As we have said, the AFC is here to stay; but at the same time, coalition politics and coalition cooperation are here to stay,” he asserted, to applause from those seated.

The President noted that Guyana is a very complex country, and he said that as one moves through the 10 administrative regions, one would recognize that there are many differences. He said it is mutual respect which brought the coalition parties together, and mutual respect maintains that alliance.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo told those gathered that when the AFC came into fruition in 2005, he was asked whether he would be joining the movement. He then described his interaction with Holder, and said that in 2006 he was pressed further to determine his political standing. At the time, he noted, he publicly welcomed the AFC, and he pointed to that party being a possible body he would later move to. He said that being a person of loyal commitments, he felt that to stay within the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) could be in the interest of the people.

He described the AFC as the new force he moved on to, noting that now being part of the Government, he believes the party will play an important role in the future of Guyana’s politics.

“And that is why the word alliance means something special in the AF – that (means) it is prepared to join forces with all patriotic, all progressive sections of society; all individuals who want to come on board only in the interest of the country,” Nagamootoo asserted.

We have made mistakes that we must be held accountable for, but it has been wonderful; since we have formed this movement, we have said we want national unity, we want justice, we want equality, we want to make Guyana number one in the Caribbean, and we will make it through this coalition politics, through the partnership that we have with the APNU.” – Khemraj Ramjattan, AFC Leader

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, leader of the AFC, in a spirited address, spoke to the coalition following general elections. “We have made mistakes that we must be held accountable for, but it has been wonderful; since we have formed this movement, we have said we want national unity, we want justice, we want equality, we want to make Guyana number one in the Caribbean, and we will make it through this Coalition politics, through the partnership that we have with the APNU,” he said.

Ramjattan noted that the AFC’s formation came after “finding our parent parties not being up to the standard that we felt they ought to (be)”. He said the same was felt by Holder, and now Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman.

He said that being brash and daring, he found that it was time to call into question and inquire especially the leadership of his then party, the PPP. “It had to do with demanding an inquiry into allegations of misconduct by certain ministers,” he noted.

He said that, as young leaders of the AFC, the trio managed to capture an audience, and he singled out the press as being delighted “with what we were doing”. He said the press gave the party lots of publicity and the party then rose in appeal, including to persons overseas.

“But around us started this team,” he said, as he singled out many others who joined in supporting the party.

He noted that it is circumstances which generally create the product such as a political party. “Hard work, honest work,” he said. “We also managed to see more and more people come on board,” he noted as he recounted the party’s advance in numbers and seats in parliament.

“It’s a nice story that will have to be written about when it came to the 2015 elections and all of that,” Ramjattan said. “I feel blessed as being part of three co-founders to walk this walk and to see Guyana where it is today,” he noted, as he thanked his wife Seeta for standing by his side throughout his political life. Those seated gave him a solid round of applause.

Ramjattan called for national unity and justice to prevail in the years ahead, as he cited the headquarters of the AFC as being a “symbol of strength and solidity”.

Trotman, in brief remarks, noted that in 2004 he read that Ramjattan had been expelled from the PPP. He added that the two had been meeting on the corridors of the law courts and discussing what has been happening nationally in the field of politics. He said that when Ramjattan was expelled from the PPP, “I thought that it was a grand event,” adding that he subsequently wrote an article which included the line: “new vistas will open from this day”.

Trotman said that in October 2005, when the AFC was launched, it was then a movement, and it was a movement which entered the 2015 elections as a full-fledged party.

He then outlined steps which would transform a movement into a political party, and he described the hard work which he and others undertook to build the party’s image.

Minister of Tourism and Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, spoke to the legacy of the late Holder. She described the event as a celebration of the AFC, and she noted that the event was one in which a message was sent to all Guyana that the party is continuing its commitment to change Guyana’s landscape.
While reflecting on Mrs Holder, she said that the former Member of Parliament founded and nurtured her baby, the AFC, with her two good friends in Ramjattan and Trotman.

Hughes said that in many of her conversations with Holder in the early days of the AFC, she recalled how Holder struggled with being a politician in Guyana and dealing with the Government of the day.

“Sheila was a fierce fighter for equality, justice and the promotion of what is right”, Hughes said. She added that Holder worked tirelessly while spreading the message of change and the dream of a new day in Guyana.