–other former APNU members, supporters credit loss of confidence for transition to governing party

FORMER Mayor and longstanding supporter of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Patricia Chase-Greene, has joined the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) ahead of the Local Government Elections and credited her transition to a desire for “unity, progress and a One Guyana.”

Chase-Greene being unveiled as a candidate for the PPP/C was a telling manifestation of continuing trouble in the camp of the A Partnership for National Unity’s (APNU), which is led by the PNC/R.

Questioned by the press on whether the change of her political alliance was motivated by discord within the APNU party, Chase-Greene would only say: “You put the pieces of the puzzle together, all I will say to the press is that I support One Guyana, unity and progress.”

Chase-Greene has been involved in politics since the early 1990s, when she contested in the LGEs as a member of the “Good and Green Environmental Group” run by PNC/R stalwart, Hamilton Green.

In the 2016 LGE, she ran as an APNU Candidate for Constituency #12, where she won by a landslide; this was repeated at the subsequent 2018 LGE.

On Monday, Chase-Greene was part of the PPP/C’s group that submitted the party’s list of candidates to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Returning Officer at the Critchlow Labour College.

After the submission, Chase-Greene joined hand-in-hand with PPP/C General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo as the party and its massive group of supporters left the location.

The former Mayor was not alone in her shift to the PPP/C, as she was joined by former APNU member Trichria Richards, who said she has lost all confidence in her former party.

Representing the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) as a Georgetown Councillor for Constituency #13 since 2018, Richards says that her move was based on what she believes is best for her community.

“Personally, I’ve lost confidence in the APNU party and I decided to make this move because I’m concerned about my constituency and I want to see progress, and I want to see development for my area and I believe this is the best move that I could make,” Richards related in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle.

With 25 candidates, the PPP/C is contesting in all 15 constituencies within Georgetown. Chase-Greene is a candidate on the PPP/C Proportional Representation (PR) list.

Richards and Chase-Greene were the most striking of a list of several politicians revealed to have shifted political alliance and joined the PPP/C party for the local government polls.

Some of the other persons were popular radio announcer and former Georgetown councillor, Malcolm Ferreira, commonly known as “Mr. Wickedee,” and former The Citizen’s Initiative (TCI) member, and businessman, Alfonso De Armas.

The party’s list also included former Alliance For Change (AFC) candidate, Jewula Ceasar, and former independent candidate, Jainarine Singh.

Ferreira contested in the 2016 LGE and won a seat on the 30-member council as councillor for Constituency #10. He related that his motivation for joining the PPP/C is his yearning to “work with people who really want to develop communities.”

“It’s an opportunity to do work for the people of Georgetown, specifically for Constituency 10. I’ve noticed that the government has invested a lot of money in infrastructure, so that gave me an indication that they are persons willing to work with others.

“So here I am. Had I not been opened to working with anyone, I would not have been here with the PPP, and if the PPP was not opened to working with others I would not have been here,” Ferreira said.

He related that he will be leaning on his previous experience and track record as a candidate as he sets out and campaigns for the votes of his fellow residents in the Albouystown community.

“I believe not in blowing my own trumpet, but I have a track record already as a councillor and the residents of constituency 10 could point to the things that I’ve done.

“In terms of building the largest youth group, looking after the infrastructure and ensuring that single parents, school dropouts get the type of investments and the level of love that they need. I still live in my community so I’m able to assess and interact with the residents and know exactly what it is that they need,” Ferreira said.

Flanked by a small group of supporters, Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, despite witnessing the crossovers and the crowd of PPP/C supporters in the popular APNU stronghold, said: “I want to say to all our supporters across the country, we must stay focused… I said to my support base there do not be misled, they are looking for incidents….let us stay focused, we have been doing our political work on the ground, and we will continue to do our political work.”