– five new faces on AFC executive committee
Raphael Trotman has been re-elected unopposed as leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), which has pledged to work for the creation of a united front for the next general elections.
Trotman was re-elected before the AFC’s Second Delegates’ Convention wrapped up yesterday at the Ocean View Convention Centre, at Liliendaal. The convention, which was held under the theme ‘From Third Force to First Choice’, emphasised the gains made by the party since it was launched four years ago, on the eve of the last general elections. The theme was reiterated throughout the ceremony by the party leaders, who suggested that both the governing PPP/C and main opposition PNCR have been compromised and discredited as vehicles to build a new Guyana.
In addition to Trotman, Khemraj Ramjattan was also returned as party Chairman, while Sheila Holder was returned as vice-Chairperson of the party; Sixtus Edwards has been elected General Secretary. Other members elected to of the AFC’s National Executive Commit-tee are Catherine Hughes, David Patterson, Dominic Gaskin, Martin Cheong, Latchmin Budhan-Punalall, Clayton Hall, Fitz Ralph, Gerhard Ramsaroop, Michael Carrington, Mark Atkinson, Vibert Welch and Pastor Sewnauth Punalall. The AFC also has four seats on its committee for representatives appointed by its four Diaspora regions, the USA, Canada, the UK and the Caribbean.
Signalling its transformation into a viable alternative to the government, Trotman announced during his feature address at the opening ceremony on Friday evening that the AFC has started pursuing strategic partnerships to build a united front to contest upcoming elections. He said forging partnerships and alliances with individuals and groups from the body politic and civil society is one of the main pillars upon which the party would be structured. He noted that work towards this end has started in earnest and underscored that it is a matter of necessity. “We recognise that we cannot go it alone [and] to hold a contrary opinion is not only egotistic but also futile and reckless,” Trotman said, adding, “By the date of the next elections, whether they be local or general, we will be standing strong and together with others in a united front. There is no other way but this way.”
Trotman, who said the party had moved closer from conception to being the next government, emphasised that it is not the AFC’s intention to be merely “a watchdog party,” nipping at the heels of government. “We believe we can bring change to this country and so together with others we hope to form and be the next government,” he declared, while impressing the importance of the party becoming more efficient, vibrant, capable and transformational in pursuit of this goal. He asked that the party not be held up against the template designed over 50 years ago, saying that it is time for a new way, for a new Guyana.
Trotman outlined a work plan for the party, explaining that its structure would rest on four pillars. In addition to building strategic alliances and partnerships it would also seek to maximise the Diasporic involvement and optimise its resource base, ensuring organisation and discipline and the efficient communication of its message.
With more than 80% of the country’s skilled labour living overseas, Trotman said it is an “impossibility” for the remainder to build the country alone. Further, he said, the party could not go to the Diaspora and ask for money for its various projects but must also accept its full and unfettered participation in the decision-making process in the country. In recognition of this reality, he noted that since the last convention the party has set aside four seats on its executive committee for Diaspora representatives from the Caribbean, the USA, Canada and the UK.
Admitting that it was a cliché to say that the strength of a political party is its ability to organise and mobilise, he said building a party in the present “poisonous atmosphere” has been very difficult. “I will not stand here and pretend that managing this party in a plural society, compounded by a weak economy and an autocratic government has been easy. It has been anything but easy,” he pointed out. However, he also trumpeted the fact that the party has been able to hold its second convention within the constitutionally mandated time as evidence that while it still has some way to go, it is not creeping its way there.
Also, Trotman said that while it would be all well and good to have an organised party, its message must be consistent, easily understood and delivered in a manner that ensures it is effectively received. In this vein, he noted that the world has entered a new age of information technology and as a modern party seeking the support of youth and disgruntled voters, the AFC must transform and adapt or risk becoming static and irrelevant. “Our core values and principles remain the same but our methodology for transmitting them must as a matter of necessity transform, a challenge which we have embraced and I tell you the results are exciting,” he added.
Meanwhile, Trotman reiterated the warnings by other speakers of the danger of leaders failing to address the country’s problems, noting that the people would fix it themselves. “And heaven help us for that day,” he said, adding that he was recently cautioned about “the little people who matter” and the “big parties that should be representing them and are failing to do so.” He agreed that both must be pursued, developed and protected simultaneously and concertedly. “The little people need political representation and in the absence of anarchy it is only through the political party that that representation should come so we both have responsibilities to each other,” he said, later issuing a call to the citizenry to stand up and slip off the bonds of the past and embrace a new culture of tolerance and inclusivity.
Provocation
AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan said while the party was regarded as underwhelming to other political parties at its inception, it is now overwhelming them. “This is no small party anymore,” he said, while adding that the party’s journey to be “first choice” was not an easy one and is not concluded as yet. He said the other political parties feel “offended” by losing political space, but this was the essence of democracy and he affirmed the party’s belief in ensuring that space is taken in the “constitutional, legal and proper” manner. “It must not be the ousting in an illegitimate, illegal, criminalistic manner,” he said, noting that the party would seek victory over the PPP/C and PNCR within the constitutional realm. “We have never preached violence. We will never preach violence.”
However, Ramjattan said violence is now being provoked, citing the burning down of the Health Ministry, the torture of men and the repression of recent public protesting. “That is not the democracy that I fought for and that is not the democracy that you and your sisters and brothers want for this country,” he added, noting the need for people who will not fear the system, which perpetuates divisiveness, corruption and mediocrity up to the highest level.
Ramjattan lamented what he called a self-imposed fear and said the fact that many see the option of leaving the country as better is a dangerous development. Referring to attendance at the opening of the convention, he said that businessmen who had indicated they would attend did not turn up; explaining that their businesses would suffer if they were associated with the party. He blamed leadership, noting that the country has gone from the sublime to the ridiculous and said the AFC would work to transform fearfulness into fearlessness to create a dynamic democracy. He urged a new political culture but underscored the point that it would only happen when national outrage is expressed by those who see outrageous things happening and demand a stop to them. He said it has not been forthcoming but emphasised the need for institutional strengthening, including in civil society, to ensure a better equipped electorate.
‘A new vision’
Party CEO Peter Ramsaroop said the country has suffered from 40 years of failed leadership, and emphasised the need to build a “substantial and viable legacy” that would give hope to the nation’s children. “Our predecessors and current leaders have failed us and left us with a legacy of racism, dictatorial governance, and poverty,” he said, while adding that the issues that plague the country have been analysed to death. “We have debated, debunked and declared, but we are still defunct, debased and defeated in the eyes of the rest of the world. We need a new vision,” he noted.
According to Ramsaroop, now is a strategic time that requires initiative, hard work and change, channelled in a collective effort. “The change cannot be in just one or two Guyanese; it must be the entire nation–one strong voice demanding progress and reform,” he said. Ramsaroop added, “We sit idly by as the government runs our country to their liking with total disregard for what is best for us and what we want. If we are serious about leaving a pleasing legacy for our children, then we need to start by demanding change right now. There is no more time to wait around for the government to change; they have made it abundantly clear that they see no reason to change at all. But you and I see the reason every single day.”