– TNM et al insist, in defence of their Joinder of Lists Agreement

By Lisa Hamilton

THE New Movement (TNM) is challenging The Citizen Initiative (TCI)’s position that its Joinder of Lists Agreement was not well thought out, as they and the other parties in the merger would have discussed at length how they will deal with certain issues.

Among those issues at reference, TNM says, are the allocation of possible seats, the sharing of campaign resources, and conflicting views.

But TCI is adamant that while it supports small parties, in agreements such as a Joinder of Lists, it is critical that all snags are ironed out prior to a signing, and that the timeframe in which the parties signed their agreement was not feasible enough for them.

As guests on the Guyana Chronicle’s Vantage Point on separate occasions, TNM’s Dr. Asha Kissoon and TCI’s Rhonda-Ann Lam, the only two female presidential candidates contesting the 2020 General Elections, spoke on the matter.

On January 18, TNM, the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), and A New and United Guyana (ANUG) announced to the public that they had forged a Joinder of Lists Agreement, which would see their votes being counted collectively after the elections.

They’d also approached TCI about joining them in the merger, but it refused the offer on the grounds that not only was the Agreement “not strongly thought out”, but it also lacked equity with regard to decision-making.

Asked about this on Vantage Point, Kissoon acknowledged that the parties did try to explain to TCI that entering into a Joinder of Lists Agreement did not mean they would lose their independence, but it was not enough to convince them to seal the deal.

“We did approach other parties; there were conversations with Change Guyana, but they weren’t really available,” Dr. Kissoon said, adding: “We were hoping to work with The Citizen Initiative, but the response wasn’t very positive. First, I was told that they couldn’t get their team together, and then I was told that it was too last-minute for them.”

The TNM leader used the occasion to assure the public that every effort was made to let TCI know that it would have equity and independence.

NOT ENOUGH TIME

However, Lam later said on the programme that while equity and independence was an issue for TCI, there were several others stemming from the party’s “coalition principles” which time did not permit them to iron out.

“[Given] Nomination Day to the date you had to sit down and work out another agreement to cover which party is going in to parliament, how you’re going to merge and those kinds of things,” Lam said, “time was always a factor for us. And whilst we are very much on board in supporting the other small parties, because of that time factor… And we’re looking at certain decisions that would have had to be made, our Executive said: ‘You know what? We’ve already decided that on Nomination Day, we’re going it alone; let’s just continue along that path.”

Noting that making such a critical decision is not as cut-and-dried as one might think, she said: “It sounds good in theory, but when you sit down… And you have to sit down and work out the nitty-gritty to meet a deadline and so many factors are at play, that’s the challenge.”

When it comes to any form of collaboration, even in the case of a coalition with other parties, TCI says that consideration must be given to its principles, which cover youth and gender representation in the National Assembly.

Even with these, there are other concerns with regards to transparency that the party does not intend to bargain on.

ALL IN GOOD TIME
At its launching on Saturday, the party committed that at the end of February, it will reveal to the public a detailed breakdown of the donations the party has received thus far, and how it was spent.

Lam stated: “TCI has opted for radical transparency in terms of presenting not only where we get our money from, but also how it’s spent… So that was a big thing for us. If we were out there saying that we’re going to tell you exactly how much money we got and how we spent it, and then we joined with a partner who wasn’t willing to do that [there’s a problem].”

With the time for entering into a Joinder of Lists agreement already passed, Lam said that the TCI is “not afraid to face the electorate alone,” and will continue on its own towards Elections Day.

WE HAVE A PLAN
Meanwhile, TMN, ANUG and LJP have decided that the selection of which representative from which party will enter the National Assembly, should the parties accumulate the necessary votes, would be based on the number of votes acquired by individual parties.

“Basically, whichever party in the three has the most votes has their seat and the extra votes will be put together for another seat,” Kissoon explained.

The Guyana Chronicle also enquired how the parties plan to ensure that their plans are vocalised in the National Assembly, should just one seat be acquired from an amalgamation of votes from the three, represented by a leader from the party with the most votes.

It was asked, too, whether there was concern about the alignment of the individual views of the three parties on crucial matters such as constitutional reform.

Kissoon said that the parties have agreed to put aside zeroing in on their differences, and will work towards the greater good for all Guyanese. She also stated that each party brings something unique to the table that is useful.

“We were looking for parties that we have synergy with; that we share common views. ANUG has always been the most similar to us when it came along to the goals that we set out. Mr. Shuman also has his [plan], and there’s nothing there that we, as an Executive in The New Movement, was opposed to,” she said.

“The three parties that signed the agreement said one basic thing and, I’ll let it out: as long as it benefits the people of Guyana, we agree. If LJP makes a proposal or if ANUG makes a proposal, as long as it benefits the Guyanese people, that’s our only concern.”

The parties have agreed to share resources where needed leading up to the elections but will retain their individuality in campaigning.

Kissoon told the newspaper, at the time of the interview, there has been no issue raised that the parties will not support each other on.