AFC Leader Raphael Trotman last evening announced that party Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan would replace him in a few weeks as leader.
Trotman, who is Speaker of the National Assembly, made the announcement at the opening of the party’s new sub-office at Enmore, East Coast Demerara.
“We have the Chairman of the Party Mr. Ramjattan, a fireball, soon to be the leader for the Alliance For Change in a few weeks and I will be in the middle as the Speaker to keep the order,” Trotman said, while addressing close to seventy persons at the opening.
In making the announcement, Trotman told those gathered that the party has been “striking a blow” to pave the way for their freedom from corruption. Every day, there is some form of corruption being exposed within the government, he said, while making reference to continuing concerns over the cost of medical supplies procured by government. “We all can have a better life but the corruption is so obscene and rampant, if Ramjattan and [Moses] Nagamootoo and the others hadn’t [stood] up, we wouldn’t [have] known about half of the things that are happening,” he said.
Trotman, as the Speaker of the House, also invited the residents to visit Parliament while it is in session so that they can better understand what transpires in the National Assembly.
Ramjattan, acknowledging that the community is often described as a backbone of the ruling PPP, congratulated the residents on their accomplishments for the area. “When I saw you fighting for your right to be councillors and manage your own community, I said that is the right fight,” he told residents. He urged party members to offer skills training classes at the sub-office and pledged to offer assistance in whatever form he could.
He said the AFC is going to use its parliamentary majority with APNU to ensure everything works out in the favour of the people’s interest. “We are going to ensure that bills come from us that will be in the workers’ interests. Bills and motions are going to be tabled that are going to be in your interest, community-oriented,” he assured. He noted that for a long time, the legislation passing through the National Assembly has been primarily related to national benefits, in contrast to the agenda during the Jagans’ years, when the focus was on the interest of the people.
He stated that he can never be a Jagan, but urged everyone to evoke the Jagan within them to cut corruption and mismanagement.
Ramjattan urged those gathered at the ceremony to appreciate the AFC’s affiliation with APNU, while noting that they share a common cause. “We didn’t make the cuts to embarrass the PPP we made the cuts to save this country,” he said, in explaining the cuts made to the 2012 National Budget by the combined opposition. He also reiterated that the government did not include all its revenues in the budget, which was also a reason for the cuts.
Also addressing the opening was AFC MP and former PPP stalwart Nagamootoo, who said that the event was an historic moment for Enmore residents.
Nagamootoo accused former president Bharrat Jagdeo of presiding over the worst type of corruption in Guyana. He also accused Jagdeo of allowing his cronies to use the PPP to entrench themselves and then enrich themselves. He accused the government of selling out lands to their friends and not giving the common man the option of acquiring those lands.
The residents of Enmore, meanwhile, complained of being victimised by police and regional authorities because they were supporters of the AFC.
