Former Member of Parliament Jaipaul Sharma yesterday formally announced that he was back in the fold of the main opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity Party (APNU) without any pre- conditions.
“Someone has to make the sacrifice and say, ‘I am letting up.’ …The reason I rejoined is so we can get this PPP regime out of power,” Sharma told a press conference yesterday at CNS Channel Six.
Last year April, during the budget debate, Education Minister Priya Manickchand had heckled Sharma about the statutory rape charges against his father, CN Sharma which he had said was offensive. Sharma later tendered his resignation to the Speaker and subsequently told Stabroek News that he felt Manickchand would not let up and he therefore resigned so as not to hurt the coalition.
Yesterday, he said that he understands that there is still a possibility that he will be mocked but added that he was mentally prepared for the jeers. “I resigned but I did not leave politics… I think I am okay with that. They will want to put Priya Manickchand against me but I could handle it,” he said.
He explained yesterday that while his Justice For All Party (JFAP) remained part of APNU’s coalition, he had opted to resign from parliament but was still politically involved with the populace and remained committed to helping people.
Sharma stressed that he believes that when the 11th Parliament sits, it will be under an APNU government, which will be holding a majority of the parliamentary seats.
National unity
Meanwhile, APNU yesterday stressed its commitment for national unity. “A Partnership for National Unity renews its resolve to continue its work to achieve national unity in Guyana. APNU firmly believes that a government of national unity is the first step in realizing the vision of an inclusive just and equitable society,” coalition General Secretary Joseph Harmon said.
“Our multi-party partnership, we believe, allows us the best means of achieving national unity. We are cognisant of the historical damage that racial hatred and political prejudice has brought …we will not relent in our endeavours to remove impediments to national unity,” Harmon added.
Further, he noted that negotiations continue with the Alliance For Change (AFC) for an electoral alliance to contest the planned May 11th general elections but because they are bound by a non-disclosure agreement he could not detail the current state of the talks.
Asked if the coalition would seek to reflect the country’s two main races in its Presidential and Vice-Presidential candidates, Harmon said it would not since such a model itself strays from racial integration and at the same time disenfranchises other races. As a result, he said, the choice for the two top spots on the ticket will be determined by what members of the coalition want.
“I would not venture to say that, ‘Okay, you must have an Indian and a Black, or a Chinese and a Portuguese or an Amerindian,’ because that formula will always exclude a certain racial group in this country,” Harmon said.
“There are six races in this country and if you always have a formula that always has two, one at the top and the other at the bottom—as the case might be—you will always exclude at least four others,” he added.
To this, Sharma added, “We (JFAP) agree to who the APNU puts there. We don’t have a problem if there are two Afro-Guyanese or two Indo-Guyanese… because we are all Guyanese and we all are working for the entire country.”
