LEADER of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Aubrey Norton is maintaining that there are no regrets about any of the decisions that led to the Alliance for Change (AFC) abandoning the coalition with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).
The AFC officially departed the coalition with the PNCR-led APNU on December 31, 2022 with the end of the Cummingsburg Accord, the agreement that bonded the two sides.
The split came following much in-fighting between the two sides over the nominee for the Region 10 Regional Vice-Chairperson. Leader of the AFC Khemraj Ramjattan had noted that there would be “consequences in relation to the relationship” between the APNU and the AFC, if the former did not support the latter’s choice.
The APNU and AFC remained at loggerheads for months over the issue before the person the APNU preferred was given the position. Sticking to their promise of “consequences” weeks after the new Vice-Chairperson was appointed, the AFC announced it was leaving the coalition.
During his weekly press conference on Tuesday last, Norton, who is also Chairman of the APNU, was asked if there were any regrets over the decisions that were made leading up to the AFC leaving the coalition, and his response was:
“I think we sit down, we analyze things, and we make decisions. In this situation, I don’t know that there are any regrets. Probably, with a longer view… couple years from now, there might be. For now, we are comfortable that we would’ve talked through our decisions, and made proper decisions in the interest of our party, the country, and the coalition.”
As it relates to the way forward for the two political parties now that they have gone their separate ways, particularly given that the AFC will be retaining its nine seats in the National Assembly, Norton said he does not foresee any issue with his former partners, as long as they toe the line.
“We see no problem working with the AFC, once the AFC continues to be supportive of the Parliamentary agenda we agreed on,” Norton said, adding:
“The AFC also says it will operate as APNU+AFC at the level of Parliament; this position was presented to me. I will engage the Central Executive Committee [of the PNCR] on the matter [and] we will have a definitive position on how we move forward.”
The AFC’s departure is the latest in the continuous erosion of the coalition, since 2020. In terms of coalition members, in August 2020, the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) made its exit after accusing the PNCR of practising non-consultation and being dictatorial.
The exodus continued in September 2020 when the Justice For All Party also departed after re-examining the roles and relationships of Guyana’s political landscape.
Aside from constituting parties, since 2020, several individual members have also departed the PNCR and AFC.
In the latest issues at the PNCR, General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmond, and the Treasurer, Faaiz Mursaline, resigned from their positions amidst accusations of financial mismanagement and “racial hostility” within the party.
