THE Cummingsburg Accord that gave birth to the coalition party, the A Party for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) was historic in every sense.

For not only did it bring together two parties on a single slate for contesting a national election in Guyana for the very first time, but also put together a movement that embraced the belief of national unity. It was a worthy endeavour, one that appealed to a very wide cross section of citizens that had become tired of the tradition of race-based politics which has continued to be the cause of the nation’s political problems; ethnic fears, suspicion, and insecurity.

The rest is now history. Guyana has a ruling coalition government which for the first time contested and won a national vote against the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). Though, by a very narrow margin of votes it signaled that citizens had given due thought to its message of forging a new dispensation.

Political coalitions are put-togethers of political groups/parties primarily with the common goal of removing an incumbent government from office. But even if this is interpreted as a possible sign of common interests, shared beliefs, and ideology, in the case of this particular political peculiarity it is not. This should not be too difficult to understand, given the fact that political parties are comprised of persons who are drawn from different stations of life and are therefore representative of the different societal interest groups. It is these associations and their members that give shape and meaning to any organisation’s social outlook and ideological belief, that may eventually morph into a political brand. Therefore, it is inevitable that in any coalition of a political type that there would be competing interests, which make for differences of opinions, and views.

It explains why pre-coalition negotiations are often delicate and tough, as all the parties seek to present their demands, concerns, and areas for clarification and settlement before an eventual agreement is reached. Central to these dynamics will be which party gets what cabinet portfolios, which is often determined by its political–constituency strength, in terms of parliamentary seats.

President David Granger, himself, during a recent interview in the Stabroek News alluded to the fact that in keeping such a partnership together “you must have partners who share a common vision regarding where they want the country to go, where they see our children going and how the country’s resources would be applied to achieve that vision.” He added that within the APNU+AFC partnership there is a shared vision and although there are differences, those differences have to be managed. It was also heartening to hear Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, in his address at the launch of the AFC Local Government Elections campaign on Saturday, encouraging his members to be respectful and not indulge in personality attacks however provoked. The coalition partners will be contesting the elections as separate entities.

Be it as it may, there will always be inter coalition challenges because of its very construct and nature. It has been three years since Guyana’s political landscape has been experiencing its first real test of such a government, and there have been many interesting views about such form of governance, that point to at least two particular views, given our particular political history.

Of course, there is the representative school, not surprising, that definitely wishes failure for such a historical leap of faith. This originates from the political opposition because it threatens their brand of politics. But there is also a particular constant that continues to perceive the junior coalition partner’s specific role, as keeping its senior ally in check. In fact, one concludes that such a narrow, insular, and misconceived objective is a subtle call to daily public wars and political blood-letting, as a result of challenges or disagreements which may arise.

Of course, there have arisen differences in the coalition, as would be expected of any such grouping; and this is no different in other states where such governments do exist. We have no doubt that those party leaders who gave life to the Cummingsburg Accord, took a great leap of faith, fully aware of the path that may lie ahead. And despite their many critics, the coalition and its leaders have held together.