Businessman Michael Leonard, a city councillor for opposition coalition partner the Alliance For Change (AFC), resigned from the party last week.
Leonard subsequently told this newspaper that he has no intentions of joining any other party now or in the future.
In the resignation letter, seen by this publication, Leonard notified AFC’s General Secretary David Patterson of his exit and indicated that he would also be stepping down from the city council, so another member of the party could take up the post of councillor.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work with you and the other members of the party to contribute to Guyana’s development. I wish the party continued success,” he concluded.
Leonard said Patterson and other members of AFC have since wished him the best in his future endeavours.
Leonard, who had been with the AFC since 2011, said his venturing into politics was due to his interest in communities. “I was already a member of AFC when I joined Blue CAPS in 2014 to raise awareness about the local government elections. Then I was with Team Legacy which contested the local government elections. I didn’t contest for AFC but for Team Legacy because I feel persons contesting the local government elections should be from the community which Team Legacy was,” he noted.
His resignation comes after a number of recent resignations from the APNU+AFC, which was voted out of office last year. Some of the former members have sharply criticised the coalition. Leonard said while they had negative comments about the coalition, every political party will have problems. He noted that he does not have any issues with AFC and has no ill will towards the party.
Leonard added that in the decade he’s been with the party, he has done as much as he could and added that he could have left earlier but wanted to wait until after the elections so as not to negatively impact the party during the campaign.
“Politics is public service. You get in to help the public and then you leave. I don’t believe in making that a job. A lot of people are of the impression that the salary the regional councillor, or the NDC [Neighbourhood Democratic Council] councillor or the city councillor receives is exorbitant and they get into it for the wrong reasons. It’s not about the money but getting into it for the right reasons,” he said.
He also said that he sees no reason to be in a structured party to help one’s community but as he became a member of the AFC party professionally, he thought it right to leave on the same professional level.
While he does not intend to join with any political party in the future, Leonard noted that he will continue to do whatever he can for the benefit of communities, whether directly or indirectly.
