–PM Candidate highlights; Patterson says social media abuzz with calls for their return to office
AS the nation gears up for the September 1 polls, the Alliance For Change (AFC), which has been campaigning quietly, has declared confidence in winning the upcoming elections.
These sentiments were expressed by the party’s prime ministerial candidate, Laura George, during a virtual press conference, on Friday.
Although the AFC was once hailed as a viable third force, the party is now facing numerous challenges, dating back to its absence from key national exercises such as the previous Local Government Elections (LGEs), and its ongoing recovery from a fractured coalition with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and failed attempts to revive this coalition earlier this year.
The party’s membership also took a hit after three of its parliamentarians crossed over to APNU.
In spite of these challenges and waning relevance in the political landscape, the party remains optimistic about securing victory at the upcoming polls
“I don’t want to be a pessimist, but I also believe in possibilities, because I believe that Indigenous Peoples and all Guyanese have endured enough,” George said, adding: “Citizens are prepared to have the AFC into office, the leadership in office, because we have worked with communities throughout, whether we were in office or not. So yes, the Alliance For Change is very confident.”
While the party has hosted frequent press conferences, as noted by its members on Friday, to announce a slew of promises, critics have opined that the rhetoric does not equate to political momentum, as the small party continues to face much criticism for its underperformance while in office with APNU from 2015-2020.
Earlier this week, Frederick McWilfred, who once headed the Political Division at the Ministry of the Presidency under the David Granger administration reflected upon the downfall of the Opposition.
The former political advisor spoke about how the APNU+ AFC coalition left the opposition fractured as the AFC- the smaller party- was sidelined and stripped of its purpose from 2015-2020.
“The APNU+AFC coalition was essentially a PNC government. I think the AFC was destroyed as a political party and political force due to that coalition. The PNC leaders did not treat the AFC as a coalition partner. They were, you know, just pushed aside. They were miniaturised, and they lost their purpose,” McWilfred bluntly stated.
With the AFC being in such a sad shape, he did not express any confidence in the party even gaining one seat in Parliament.
During the virtual press conference, AFC executive member David Patterson also added his voice to whether the party can motivate the electorate to vote for them.
Confidently, he said: “Every single day on social media, the entire population are calling to bring back the AFC ministers… our track record speaks for itself.”
Critics say prior to its ultimate “demise” following the March 2020 General and Regional Elections, the AFC functioned in the shadow of APNU, completely powerless and unable to influence decisions or effect change.
The weakness of the party was exposed by former party member and Member of Parliament, Charrandass Persaud, who had voted yes in support of a motion presented in the National Assembly by then opposition PPP to topple the APNU+AFC administration in 2018.