…coalition negotiators upbeat after another meeting
…stumbling blocks removed to advance talks on revision of Cummingsburg Accord

PRESIDENT David Granger and Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan, during a high-level meeting, removed the stumbling blocks that had hindered negotiations between the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the AFC, on the revision of the Cummingsburg Accord.

Those negotiations, after reports of a ‘breakdown’ in talks, will continue within days as the two sides hammer out a revised accord to take them into the 2020 General and Regional Elections. President Granger, who is also the Chairman of the APNU, met with Ramjattan at State House on Thursday. APNU’s Lead Negotiator, Volda Lawrence and her counterpart, David Patterson were present during the high-level meeting.

Moments after exiting the meeting, both Lawrence and Patterson told reporters that the meeting was a success. “Progress has been made,” Patterson repeatedly said when questioned by the Guyana Chronicle on whether the issues surrounding the naming of the Prime Ministerial Candidate was addressed.

It was last Thursday that AFC, during a press conference, reported that the lack of consensus on the naming of the Prime Ministerial Candidate had stalled negotiation on the revised Cummingsburg Accord. Under the Cummingsburg Accord, which will expire in February 2020, the APNU nominates the Presidential Candidate and the AFC, the Prime Ministerial Candidate but as the accord goes under review, there is a push for Prime Ministerial Candidate to be selected by the Presidential Candidate. But the AFC, at the time, maintained that, in keeping with the fundamental tenets of the accord, it must name the Prime Ministerial Candidate, and that is not up for negotiation. It has nominated its Leader, Khemraj Ramjattan, for the position of Prime Ministerial Candidate.

It is unclear at this stage if the AFC has agreed to compromise on its position or whether the APNU has agreed to have its coalition partner nominate the Prime Ministerial Candidate as stated in the existing Cummingsburg Accord.
Patterson, though pressed for answers, would only say that “progress” was made during the meeting that talks will continue.

Lawrence said due to the difficulties experienced by the negotiating teams, the issues were referred to the parties’ leaders. “They have sent us back to do the task that they have given to us,” she told reporters while adding that the two sides have committed to new timeframes.

“We are looking to have a meeting within another day or two, we are working on that. As you know we are both ministers, we have a portfolio, so definitely we want to have a family meeting,” Lawrence said.

Last week Chairman of the AFC, Raphael Trotman warned that the electorate could respond negatively to a divided coalition, and that it was important for the AFC and its coalition partner to find common ground as they renegotiate the 2015 Cummingsburg Accord ahead of the 2020 General and Regional Elections. “I don’t see a better alternative to the coalition, quite frankly. So I think compromise has to be found on both sides, and we will find a solution to this, and I am confident about that,” Trotman said.
He said the AFC saw “value” in the coalition in 2015, and today, the ethos and value remain the same.

The AFC Chairman said despite the disagreements between the two sides, he believes that the matter will be resolved in time. “I believe that in every engagement of this nature you will have moments of disagreement but I believe that ultimately both parties wish, as I said earlier, and desire a coalition. So the pause for me does give us an occasion to seriously reflect on where we were four or five years ago, and of course to look ahead as to where we want to go and bearing in mind the people’s expectation of us,” Trotman said.

He emphasised that in negotiation, there must be compromise. Referencing to the 2018 Local Government Elections, Trotman said based on the results, it was clear that the people were dissatisfied that the APNU and the AFC had contested those elections independently. He warned that to enter the General and Regional Elections as independent parties could be detrimental to both sides. “We are likely to see a reaction that is not in our best interest if we are separate and apart,” he posited.

President Granger has long maintained that the focus of the negotiations, at this stage, should be on principles and policies. He said that all of the parties within the coalition agreed to a three-stage process of negotiation – establishing core principles, revising the Cummingsburg Accord and the establishment of a manifesto for the coming elections. Once these principles and policies are agreed upon, he said, the identification of personalities will fall into place.

The Cummingsburg Accord brought the APNU+AFC together on February 14, 2015, paving the way for the defeat of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which had been in power for 23 years.