Dear Editor,
In response to Mr Mark Archer’s July 1 letter in Stabroek News titled, ‘In it to win it or just in it,’ let me be blunt by saying to those who are calling for the AFC to join the coalition, they should not hold their breath; it will not happen. The AFC will not join the coalition today, tomorrow or in the future. Numbers or not, the AFC is a viable party in its own right and will not be bullied into joining the coalition. Furthermore, what measuring device does anyone have to determine that the AFC is on the wrong side of history? Why not APNU?
For one reason,The AFC was formed on the basic principle to provide a third alternative to the PNCR and PPP/C.
This is its primary objective and it will not change. If the PNCR does not believe that it can win the election on its own, then that is a problem for its leaders. They should know that elections are won or lost based on campaigns and not on coalitions.
For another reason, it seems to me that some of the politicians in Guyana are copycats in that they firmly believe that what works in Trinidad and Tobago in terms of coalitions will work in Guyana.
This is far from the truth. The truth is that the time is now for these politicians to be original and practical and understand that the voting landscape in Trinidad and Tobago is not the same as in Guyana. They should cease telling the AFC what it should do and get on with their campaign.
A third reason is that the AFC is most likely to split the votes and prevent the PPP from having a majority in a three-way race. Any smart politician should know that the PPP is more likely to win in a two-way race because the coalition will be associated with the PNC. And we all know how that will resonate with certain sections of the Guyanese population.
I hope that the Mark Archers will move past this issue and focus their attention elsewhere. In victory or defeat, a party must maintain its principles or it will lose its credibility.
Yours faithfully,
Asquith Rose
