LET’S cut to the chase. Based on all available data from the last 11 elections (seven general elections and four local government elections) since 1992, I can safely say that the PNC, in any of its many formations, is unable to win elections on its own. The PNC tried to reinvent itself many times in an attempt to change its fortunes, but nothing worked until the Cummingsburg Accord.

I believe that during the 2015 negotiations for the Cummingsburg Accord, the PNC was made to come face to face with the crudity of the facts concerning their electoral limitations. They were forced to accept most of the tough terms that were dictated by the AFC. It was a realistic act of desperation, though many of the leaders who Robert Corbin affectionately referred to as “a bunch of wild men,” were content in deluding themselves that the PNCR, turn APNU, could win elections on their own.

In essence, in 2015, the PNC was rescued by the AFC. The thing is, most PNC leaders never saw the coalition relationship in those terms. As such, they had a flippant approach to dealing with the AFC.

There were two clear camps in APNU. The Corbin/Granger/Harmon-led camp that knew the importance of the AFC as well as the implications of the “wild men” who perpetually believed that the PNC has all the stuff to win on its own. While in government the “wild men” malady was so rampant that even Granger was infected. A review of Granger’s actions will show that there was a dangerous amalgam of these two mindsets in a continuous bizarre enigma in his practice of politics.

There were times when Granger, to the chagrin of the “wild men,” acted in a manner that gave due recognition to the fact that the AFC was indispensable to the 2015 victory. However, there were too many times when it really mattered to the good image of the coalition and the accumulation of political dividends for the 2020 elections, when Granger himself treated the AFC with blatant disregard.

Given its position of political indispensability to the APNU, many still find it difficult to parse why the AFC took a posture of indifference to the preponderance of contempt hurled in its direction. I believe there was an ugly obsession with power that explains the political demeanour of the AFC leadership.

There were many aspects to the Granger/APNU contempt; however, I will narrow my comments only to the very Cummingsburg Accord which made the rescue mission possible. Among some of the more blatant actions of Granger that comes to mind are that the determination of the structure of the government was directly assigned to the AFC after the elections and he didn’t even offer a word of consultation on the structure of government. A list of ministries was sent to the AFC, and in each case with truncated responsibilities, without murmur, complaints or resistance, the AFC accepted. Raphael Trotman confirmed this fact.

In his latest book, he wrote that he learned of the name of the ministry he was about to head, only at the very moment he stood to take the oath of office. Next, Granger bluntly refused to appoint persons to ministerial positions actually named by the AFC and substituted with persons of his own choosing. Further, the accord required regular interparty meetings/dialogues, but Granger reportedly refused to even acknowledge requests for interparty meetings. In fact, not a single interparty meeting was held before January 2020.

Even further, the accord required two Vice-presidents (VPs) to the AFC and one to APNU; Granger appointed two APNU VPs without consulting the AFC.
Lastly, we can recall that on February 14, 2018, 36 months into the life of the accord, the parties had two options: either revise the agreement or extend it. The AFC officially asked APNU (under the hand of its general secretary), to revise the accord. AFC even named its plenipotentiary, but APNU didn’t even grant the AFC the courtesy of a response. After weeks of being ignored, the AFC simply stopped asking and defaulted to the status quo.

The accord was a vehicle for APNU to profess the things that the AFC wanted to hear just to get into power, so that they can do as they please; treachery is the terminus.

For the AFC leaders, the acquisition of power was the final destination, the fulfilment of an aspiration. Having reached their objective, nothing APNU did would offend them, no amount of pleading from their executives would persuade them, the prophetic fulfilment was manifested.

Another agreement was inked for the 2020 election. I’m sure readers will recall that APNU again broke the agreement before the ink was dried. One example will suffice: there was a squabble over the Vice-chair position in Region Four. This time the AFC was not in power and David Patterson suddenly found his mojo, threw a tantrum and faked a resignation as general secretary and parliamentarian. He was no longer at the coveted and self-ascribed destination, so he was then in a position to jump in front the bus to stage guerilla warfare.

What remains nauseating is that the accord document was monikered “An accord with the people.” This meant that, in the administration of the accord, the people were given the middle finger. These guys have demonstrated over and over that they are unable to keep an agreement among themselves. How could they be trusted to keep their word with the people?
Last week we heard that APNU and the AFC signed a secret coalition MoU. I wish to attempt a sobriquet, “the same old new era of opaque transparency.’ The contents of the agreement, reportedly already “on life support,” is secret because it has nothing to do with the people; it is entirely to satisfy the egos of those who signed it. My initial and only reaction, so far, to the MoU finds expression in local parlance, “pigeewinging.”

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.