The AFC on Wednesday urged President Donald Ramotar to either call snap elections or stop the ruling party from sending fearful messages of early polls in hopes of forcing the opposition into taking a softer line in the National Assembly.
At a public meeting held at the Stabroek Market Square on Wednesday evening, AFC executive member Nigel Hughes led the charge as persons converged in large numbers to listen and give support.
“Don’t tell me you are going to call the elections. Call it! Tell Donald, if he think he is a bad man or a road man, call the elections… Call it. Don’t bluff nobody, call it. You either put up or shut up,” said Hughes, while noting several instances where government representatives have been saying that because of the recent cuts to the national budget made by the opposition, using its parliamentary majority, new polls are imminent. “Don’t let them frighten you as a nation. We have come too far… we have too much warrior in our blood to let anybody threaten we,” he said.
He stated that although AFC is prepared for another election, it is going to insist on constitution reform, including reducing the powers of the executive presidency. Although the opposition has a simple majority in the National Assembly, a two-thirds majority is needed to effect constitutional change, thereby necessitating cooperation with the government to move such a process forward. Hughes advised attendees at the meeting to demand that there be an overhaul of the constitution before new polls.
“We are ready for any election but long before any election in this country, we have to change this constitution so never again in the history of this country should anybody elected have absolute power,” he said.
Hughes also opined that while Ramotar might hint at elections, the odds of him being chosen by the PPP to lead that party to the polls again were very slim. “Anytime they going back to election, they ain’t got time with ‘Donald’… and so he will hold on like Jagdeo and try and stay,” added Hughes.
Other speakers at the meeting included party executives Cathy Hughes and Michael Carrington as well as citizen activists Christopher Ram and Freddie Kissoon.
At a press briefing held earlier on Wednesday, at the Sidewalk Café, the AFC said it was looking forward to the resumption of the tripartite talks between the opposition parties and the government, arguing that it was the only guaranteed way of inclusive governance. “The AFC believes that what happened with the 2012 National Budget could have been avoided if the Tripartite Arrangement was allowed to proceed prior to the tabling and debate of the 2012 National Budget, so that together, the three parties in Parliament would have had the opportunity to present a budget that addressed the needs of all the people of this country. In light of the lessons we all learned, the AFC maintains that the peoples’ interest would be best served if we, as Parliamentary Parties, sit around the table to negotiate in ‘good faith,’” It said.
