Laying the foundation for its campaign strategy, the People’s Progressive Party has lashed out at the possible coalition between the Alliance For Change and A Partnership for National Unity.
General Secretary of the ruling party, Clement Rohee said that historically Guyana has not has success with political coalitions. During the party’s weekly press briefing held at Freedom House on Monday, Rohee said that there appears to be internal strife between the AFC and APNU as to who would ultimately lead the coalition.
Rohee said that this was testimony to the stability of the PPP which promotes confidence in citizens. Rohee called the AFC the “junior partner” in the coalition talks, but said that the AFC’s “leader-or- nothing” mentality was reminiscent of former PNC President Forbes Burnham.
The general secretary of the PPP took the opportunity to state that neither the AFC nor APNU is holding themselves accountable to their membership or supporters. Rohee was definitive when asked if the PPP would ever consider a coalition with the AFC when he said it was not in the realm of the PPP’s perspective. Rohee refused to entertain possible scenarios under which the PPP could be approached by the AFC and stated that the PPP would not be reaching out to the AFC to discuss any partnerships.
Former PPP stalwart Ralph Ramkarran says that an electoral alliance between the AFC and APNU could spell defeat for the ruling PPP.
In his last Sunday Stabroek column Ramkarran said that by failing to concentrate its full energies on vote-getting projects, the PPP/C government lost the opportunity to maximize its influence with the electorate.
“Instead, the image it is going to the electorate with is of a government under siege and at perpetual war with the opposition. The PPP’s history created the belief that it was at its best as an underdog. But times have long changed and the leadership is yet to realize it. The electorate in Guyana, like everywhere else, wants progress, not excuses. When the government complains about the opposition during the campaign, the question should be asked as to why was there not a coalition government”, Ramkarran stated. He stated that the party’s focus on long term projects such as Amaila, the speciality hospital et al have done little to prove to the electorate that there is immediate benefit to them.
“While the worst the PPP/C can do with the opposition parties going to the electorate separately is to win a plurality, with a united opposition it faces the possibility of total defeat and the loss of political office. For the first time since 1992, the PPP is faced with its own electoral mortality”, he posited.
