In wake of a statement made by the PNCR’s Volda Lawrence that the coalition partners are yet to meet to discuss who the prime ministerial candidate will be for the next elections, the AFC’s General Secretary David Patterson yesterday insisted that his party is solely responsible for the choice.
As a result, he said there is no need to discuss this particular matter with any party outside of the AFC.
At a recent press conference, Lawrence said that while the AFC has endorsed its leader Khemraj Ramjattan as the prime ministerial candidate, discussions still have to be held.
“The party welcomes the fact that the AFC party was able to have their conference and elect their new candidate for the prime ministerial position. The party or the coalition and the AFC have not reached that stage in terms of discussions on (a) prime ministerial candidate,” Lawrence, the PNCR Chairperson, added.
Asked to respond to this, Patterson reminded all that he was part of the team that worked on the Cummingsburg Accord. He added that the agreement, which was signed by the AFC and the APNU, states very clearly that “Alliance For Change shall nominate the prime ministerial candidate and … that the APNU shall nominate the presidential candidate.”
He added, “We would not engage any discussion that changes that and that’s just the way it is.”
Asked if he is surprised at such a statement, he responded that this may have been the response to a question asked. “If somebody asks you are we discussing the thing and she says ‘no’ …is that a question for alarm?” he said.
Patterson nevertheless insisted that it is the sole responsibility of the AFC to choose the candidate and there was no need for a discussion by the coalition partners. He reminded that he spoke of this matter on the night of the party’s National Executive Conference (NEC).
The party did address comments in the public domain that Ramjattan may not be the preferred choice for the Prime Minister’s portfolio heading into the next elections.
At the conference, which was held last month, the party overwhelmingly endorsed Ramjattan, who it expects to replace the current Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.
When asked after the conference whether there needs to be acceptance from its coalition partner, APNU, Patterson had made reference to the Cummingsburg Accord and what it says about the nomination of a prime ministerial candidate. “There is nowhere in that agreement that says nominate a prime ministerial candidate who the coalition accepts or not,” he had added.
Patterson had also pointed out that the Accord has not expired, while noting that its lifespan is 60 months. He had said that at the expiration of 36 months, each party has an option to cancel the agreement. “So, therefore, we are duty-bound to respect it from 0 to 36 and them from 36 to 60. Both sides of the Accord have the option of if they would like to break it, they indicate. Neither of the parties has done that so until the expiration of the 60th month, the Accord is still in effect,” he had added.
