–APNU, AFC officially part ways; uncertainty looms over AFC’s seats in Parliament
THE Alliance For Change (AFC) has officially departed from its coalition with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Leader of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, confirmed that in keeping with his party’s promise to part ways with the APNU, as of December 31, with the end of the Cummingsburg Accord, the agreement binding the two sides, their relationship has come to an end.

“We did a withdrawal as part of the [Cummingsburg] Accord,” Ramjattan said in a telephone interview with this publication.

According to Ramjattan, the party had made the decision since earlier this year to leave the coalition.

“In June, we made a decision, it was not a talk, it was a decision at the [National] Conference in accordance with the Accord that on December 31 we are going to withdraw out of the Accord and independently do things, just like prior to the Accord being signed and we were two independent parties,” Ramjattan said.

However, prior to the announcement in November that they would be leaving the party, the AFC had been maintaining that there were no plans to split from the coalition.

At the AFC National Conference in June, delegates were presented with three options relating to the way forward: Remaining in the party under the current circumstances, leave the coalition altogether and remaining in the coalition but under a “revised political alliance.”

It was reported that though some votes were garnered for the option to exit the coalition, the majority of votes were for the third option, to remain in the coalition, but there must be a plan to “secure a firm agreement and structure for it to have greater influence on policy positions and political action within the alliance, while maintaining its independence and rebranding and regaining its identity.”

Ramjattan, however, hung up the phone when further asked about this.

It was in August that relations between the two sides entered particularly shaky ground, as in-fighting took place over the nominee for the Region 10 Regional Vice Chairperson position.

Ramjattan had noted that there would be “consequences in relation to the relationship” between the APNU and the AFC, if the APNU did not support their pick.

The AFC supported member Coretta Brathwaite, however, APNU had favoured AFC member, Mark Goring. The APNU and AFC remained at loggerheads for months over the issue before Goring was given the position.

Sticking to their promise of “consequences,” the AFC, weeks after Goring’s swearing in, the AFC announced it was leaving the coalition.

When contacted on Tuesday, APNU Chairman, Aubrey Norton, refused to comment on the issue.

Norton, who is also Leader of the PNC/R, which is the largest party in the APNU coalition, had been at the fore front of maintaining that the APNU would not be supporting the AFC’s pick for the Regional Vice Chairman position.

Considering the PNC/R’s actions and given the AFC’s decision to leave the party, there is some level of uncertainty regarding the AFC’s ability to retain its Parliamentary seats.

Ramjattan, during a previous press briefing, when asked about the party retaining its parliamentary seats, said: “Nothing will happen to our nine seats.”

He went on to say that the party is “entitled” to its nine seats and told reporters: “Nobody could knock us out once duly elected.”

Norton has, however, said that he does not intend to beg anyone to remain a member of the coalition.

The reality remains, however, that former President David Granger is the Representative of the List under Guyanese law, and as such it is he who has to submit the names of persons to be recalled and replaced.