ALTHOUGH some executive members of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) believe that the party should sever ties with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Executive Member, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine believes the coalition is their “best bet”.

“A single individual party cannot accomplish the tasks ahead of us; I think our best bet as a party is to work more harmoniously with the coalition,” said Roopnaraine in an invited comment on Wednesday.

Some members of the party, particularly executive member, Tacuma Ogunseye, are of the view that “coalition politics” in Guyana has failed to live up to expectations.

According to a Guyana Times report, Ogunseye said the leaders of the party owe it to their members to put their continued involvement in APNU on the agenda for serious discussion.
He noted that there are concerns that the party’s time in the coalition has not done the party, and the country as a whole, any good.

Responding to Ogunseye’s comments, Dr Roopnaraine, who is also a minister of government, said: “We would need to engage thoroughly on the matter, but they will have a hard time convincing me that it is a good idea; the coalition is the way forward for us.”
Although he admitted that the coalition did not see eye-to-eye on some issues, Dr Roopnaraine noted that state and various other matters did not permit them to have a meeting among the executive members of APNU to discuss the grievances.

The veteran WPA member was hopeful that a meeting would be convened soon, so that the problems could be addressed.

“Despite all the difficulties, the coalition is the way forward for us,” he said, adding that there are other issues that need to be addressed aside from internal problems.
Dr Roopnaraine said the WPA needs to reinvigorate the party by working with communities to recruit new members.

He believes that the real task ahead is to resuscitate the WPA groups in villages and communities.