The AFC will seek to have its representative be the APNU+AFC’s Prime Ministerial (PM) candidate for the next general elections but that person will not be Moses Nagamootoo, party insiders say.
“The majority view is that we will want the same things as in the Cummingsburg (Accord) going into this elections but most persons are of the view that the Prime Minister position should go to someone else,” one senior party executive, who requested anonymity, told Stabroek News.
Nagamootoo is the current Prime Minister.
“I know what (Leader of the AFC ) Raphael (Trotman) said but that release also made it clear that it was in his personal capacity and not that it was a party position,” another executive said, when contacted.
While a definitive date has not yet been set for the AFC’s next congress, senior party executives have assured that it will be held by March 31st 2019, as per the party’s Constitution. The party last Saturday, held its first National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting for 2019 at the Umana Yana in Kingston, Georgetown. It was expected that a date for the congress would be set but that was not done.
AFC Chairman Khemraj Ramjattan has said that when that congress is held, core issues such as who will replace current leader Trotman and whether Nagamootoo will go into upcoming elections in his current capacity, will be decided on.
“I rather suspect lots of issues are going to be raised there. Many members will have that [party elections] as a big issue. I don’t know what decisions will be taken…but definitely the election of our office-bearers, leader, general secretary , chairman, vice chairman, treasurer and all will be done there and the executive of the party,” Ramjattan told a press conference last week.
“At this stage, we are not there in relation to that. All of that will have to be decided at a national conference,” he said, when asked about Nagamootoo’s possible replacement or return.
Party executives told this newspaper that indeed the congress will decide on those issues including Nagamootoo’s future but many believe that given the atmosphere last Saturday at the NEC meeting, he will not be proposed as the PM candidate again.
“I cannot tell you why the leader said that he supports another Granger/Nagamootoo term, but I can tell you that the view of most of us is Granger yes but Moses again, no. No one is blaming Moses for anything, well that I know of, but the general consensus is to have another person as PM,” one source said.
“Another candidate would be good overall…I cannot tell you of all the party’s internal wrangling for want of a better word, but I can assure you that they want changes in this party; changes that reflect what we were founded on,” the source added.
According to a party release following last Saturday’s NEC, Trotman, in his address stated that the party had listened to the people and heard what they have to say. He related that the Guyanese public holds the AFC to a “different political standard than that of the traditional political parties” and acknowledged that the AFC “did make some mis-steps in government” and must work harder to deliver for the Guyanese people. He also reaffirmed his confidence in the David Granger/Moses Nagamootoo leadership to guide the Coalition Government in the period ahead, the release said.
Contacted yesterday to explain some of the “mis-steps” and his support for Nagamootoo again, Trotman informed that he was traveling but would address the issue at a later date.
The press release issued after the meeting had also said that a motion was unanimously approved by the NEC to “unequivocally support free education from nursery to university and facilitate housing for all Guyanese with revenues to be derived from oil.”
The AFC also unanimously approved a motion for the APNU+AFC coalition to be maintained as per the Cummingsburg Accord for the next general and regional elections, whenever they are held. Ramjattan and AFC executive Catherine Hughes recently signaled that the AFC would be going into the next election again as part of the coalition.
In addition to approving the motion regarding the maintenance of the Accord, the release said the NEC renewed the party’s commitment to constitutional reform and recognised the need for greater and meaningful involvement and participation of young people in the next Coalition Government.
Among key policies the party will pushing for in the coalition’s next manifesto would be the use of expected oil revenue to provide free education for nursery to university as well as housing for citizens.
This newspaper understands that the free education from nursery to university policy was first floated by a senior APNU executive and Minister of Finance Winston Jordan is supposed to be “crunching numbers” and undertaking analysis to ascertain from which year the policy could be rolled out.
The Cummingsburg Accord formed the basis for the winning APNU+AFC ticket at the 2015 general elections. The Accord was signed for a minimum period of three years and a maximum of five years.
After the 2016 local government elections (LGE), AFC members had complained that APNU had hogged the majority of the seats on local councils.
The party decided to contest last year’s LGE on its own saying it was ready to prove itself. “You have something currently that says 60/40 and naturally you would go with the paper that you have of that construct that is working,” Trotman had told a press conference.
At the LGE, the party was able to amass 8,719 votes, representing 4 per cent of the total number of votes cast, according to the official results.
According to the results, of the 202,081 valid votes cast at the LGE, a number reflective of only 34 per cent of the total voters list, the PPP amassed 122,307 votes, while APNU secured 68,060 and the AFC managed 8,719.
