Khemraj Ramjattan is the new leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) while Nigel Hughes is the chairman.
Both ran unopposed for these posts at the AFC’s Third National Conference at the St Paul’s Retreat Centre, Vryheid’s Lust yesterday. Moses Nagamootoo was also elected as Vice-Chairman and David Patterson as General Secretary. Also on the new executive are Raphael Trotman, Cathy Hughes, Dominic Gaskin, Gerhard Ramsaroop, Sixtus Edwards, Michael Carrington, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Rajendra Bissessar, Trevor Williams, Dr Veerasammy Ramayya, Cindy Sookdeo and Rohan Somar.
The conference was held amid calls for change in the way the country is governed, the need for transparency and accountability as well as admonitions to be ready for the next general election which could come before the constitutionally due date. “It is time that we put our house in order and to begin to prepare for the next elections which are likely to come before 2016. We need to have a cadre of strong leaders, national leaders, servant leaders who extend throughout every region, village, and street. We need to identify them, train them, support them, protect them,” outgoing AFC leader and Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman told the opening ceremony. “Prepare for government,” he said.
Ramjattan stressed that the party must continue to push for good governance, transparency and accountability as well as unity for the betterment of Guyanese. In the upbeat atmosphere which saw representatives from all the regions of Guyana as well as the diaspora, Ramjattan outlined several issues which he said hamper the progress of the country.
“We have gotten democracy…but we have not gotten good governance,” he said while adding that they have to lobby for this. Ramjattan rubbished the PPP administration’s record in several areas saying that they want to hide corruption and while activation of the Freedom of Information legislation or a Public Procurement Commission would allay some of these issues, this is not happening and “this fragmentation is killing our society.” This must be changed, he said.
Ramjattan also said that politicians in government have had their authority eroded by virtue of their conduct. As an example, he cited the fact that although the National Assembly approved a motion of no confidence against Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, he has not done the honourable thing and resigned. “And so we have the arrogance forthcoming from our politicians and ministers in the governmental level that is eroding the confidence of how we govern ourselves,” he said while adding that the public has grown tired of the mismanagement and patent corruption “that we see all around us.”
The AFC executive said that the actions of the government such as facilitating land sales and real estate development rights to political favourites, “jobs for the boys,” construction contracts for their friends and the appointments of close relatives and friends to top positions have caused the integrity of a range of institutions to be questioned.
Further, he said, the leadership of the parties, particularly the PPP, “guillotines” their internal reformers and as a result they evade responsibility and blame other people for certain actions. “We have to bring back accountability to this country and if we have to make on the streets, an example of Clement Rohee going we will have to do that,” he said to cheers. He said that the favourite excuse of the present government is to blame “the new dispensation” for “this dysfunctional state of affairs.” He charged that the PPP is not adept at governing and can only do well when they are in total control.
“But this is not to say that we are not willing to be partners with them; we know that that is what the people want but we are not going to be partners without principles. We are not going to be partners simply because they’re gonna promise us something. No. We are going to be assisting in a partnership of principles and not one made of specious promises,” Ramjattan declared. He said that good governance is so important “that we have to master it to understand why we are here…the management principles of the powers that be in this country are very deficient and that style of governance…must come to a halt.” He said that accountability must be to the people.
The new AFC leader also criticized the “too wide” discretion given to ministers in Bills and said that “generally it is a discretion without reason” and this type of governance is not good. “We also have a secretive, centralized method of governance. Everything by this executive is done not transparently but like the contract for the Marriott: secret deal; contract for the expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, secret deal; in relation to some foreign investor out of India taking a huge tract of our forest for a cheap rate, secret deal. We don’t even know in Guyana, we gotta read it in the Times of India, Times of Jamaica, to know about these contracts,” he said.
“We have to change our politics and the ways of our politicians must be transformed,” the AFC leader said adding that international best practices must be followed and a premium be placed on performance. “We have to put a premium in purging poor performers” he said adding that there were a lot of these in the PPP.
Ramjattan also spoke of some of the achievements of the AFC but pointed out that more needs to be done. “We have to carry on doing the right thing by centering our activities to members of the public, the community. We have to do more in realizing for small communities certain economic activities, leading the way in relation to how they can live a better life by virtue of doing social and economic projects within those communities. We have to build an ethic of care giving and helping,” he said.
Ramjattan acknowledged that they are challenged with regards to the resources to do these things and while a lot of people want to help “we are the ones that sometimes make the thing constraining because we are not very well organized on the ground.” He said that egotism in politics has to be replaced with humility.
The AFC leader also reiterated the need for a national vision of healing and reconciliation. “We are still going to be at political odds with the PPP and occasions, the PNC/APNU, but at the end of it we must realize that we are all Guyanese and there is need for healing and reconciliation no matter what,” he said. “We might be angry with Donald Ramotar, our president now on issues but we must respect his office and at least have the courtesy to go meet him,” he said.
However, he declared that the AFC must not be blamed for the lack of movement on areas and said that from the inception of the 10th Parliament they have worked but feels that there have been problems on the other side not wanting to compromise.
Ramjattan called for fairness in dealing with all ethnic groups and recalled what was brought out in a libel suit filed by former president Bharrat Jagdeo which was heard in the court recently. “We have to bring those things out but when we bring them out we must not then border on hatred for the other side. We must be accommodating, we must respect what we now propose and then proceed in a partnership based on principles to execute for the betterment of all our people,” he said.
Trotman
Meantime, Trotman announced his exit from the executive of the party citing the demands of the Speakership though he said that he is not retiring from politics or the party.”I take this decision for two reasons especially. Firstly, I believe that I cannot provide the strong and steady representation and leadership that the executive and members need whilst fulfilling my duties as Speaker because of the nature of that office of Speaker and its unending demands for time,” he said.
“Secondly, I am firm in my conviction that a political party, like a living organism must grow, adapt and evolve continuously if it is to remain relevant and connected to its members and the wider society as a whole,” he added. Trotman recalled that he was first elected leader in July 2007 after being named the party’s presidential candidate in 2006 and was re-elected as leader in 2009 and remained in the position ever since. “It is time for change. Rest assured however that I am by no means retiring from the AFC. I can’t because it is joined to me by an umbilical cord,” he said. During the elections later yesterday, he was elected to the executive of the party.
In speaking of his joy and pride at the achievements of the AFC, Trotman also expressed concern at the local political environment. “I experience serious bouts of fear because I recognise that the party continues to operate in a hostile environment and that there are forces at work on the outside and within that seek to destabilize and destroy the AFC,” he said. He cited as an example, the Guyana Revenue Authority last week “going after” party member Nigel Hughes, and said that other members of the executive have had similar experiences.
“I am also distressed by, and fearful of, the emergence of an insidious attack contained in emails passing between members, supporters and some who have no notion of what the AFC is and why we were formed. Like a true virus, these commentaries work their way through the heart of the AFC infecting, destroying morale, and the will to fight and re-orienting our minds to make us think that our brother and sister of yesterday is now our enemy of today. I am afraid for the future of our party because of what I see and hear and I urge the newly elected executive, and you the members to use every kind of treatment, surgical or otherwise to remove the contaminants from within us if not we will all be consumed,” he said.
In his outgoing address, Trotman also made reference to last year’s national elections and acknowledged that the party had experienced issues in the campaign. “The campaign was an interesting one and it would be remiss of me if I did not say that the AFC did not put its best foot forward,” he said. “Issues of trust amongst the leadership, financing, campaign strategy, campaign programme, misplaced personnel and misdirection, all combined to deny us what I believe was a victory at the polls,” he declared. Trotman said that as leader, he has to accept responsibility “for what we failed to accomplish and though I have been blamed for all manner of outrageous things I hope one day soon some people can take the beam out of their own eye and recognise that the campaign was in trouble even before it started.”
However, he said, there was a silver lining and this came “in the shape of a disgruntled populace that had had enough of the corruption and arrogance of the government and wanted change.” He added that the “dark cloud hanging over the campaign” also had “several bright rays of sunlight piercing through” which did much to change the party’s fortunes. He said that these were personified in persons who joined the AFC campaign such as Hughes, Garrido-Lowe, Dr Shamir Andrew Ally, Freddie Kissoon, Dr Simpson DaSilva, Mark Benschop, Sasenarine Singh, Richard Van West-Charles, Rajendra Bissessar, Dr Euclid Rose, Rab Mukraj and countless others. Moses Nagamootoo’s support, he said, was “cataclysmic and the outcome was atomic as it spread from within the base of the PPP’s stronghold and is still expanding.”
