APNU announces MPs

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Tuesday released a list of 25 of its 26 candidates to take up positions in the National Assembly.

The 26th name will be released shortly following consultations and discussions on the issue of Speaker of the National Assembly. The newcomers on the list are Amerindian leader Sydney Allicock of the Guyana Action Party (GAP), businessman Ronald Bulkan, Attorney James Bond, youth leader Christopher Jones, former Police Commissioner Winston Felix and accountant Jaipaul Sharma.

Meanwhile, other candidates are Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and Desmond Trotman of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), and Keith Scott from the National Front Alliance (NFA).

Dawn Hastings of Jawalla, Upper Mazaruni, Region Seven; and Richard Allen, businessman from Port Kaituma, Region One are also included.

Representing Region Four are accountant and PNCR Georgetown Chairman Volda Lawrence, Africo Selman, Basil Williams and Jaipaul Sharma. John Adams will be representing Region Three; with Jennifer Wade representing Region Five and, Vanessa Kissoon and Pastor- Consultant Rennis Morian representing Region 10.

Other candidates extracted from the National Top-Up List include economist, Carl Greenidge; Attorney Joseph Harmon; and ophthalmologist Dr George Norton.

The four candidates extracted for the RDC of Region Nine are former activist of The United Force (TUF) Muacir Baretto from St Ignatius; GAP activist Vincent Henry; People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) activist Dionysia Thres (aka Neuenkirk) and APNU regional campaign manager Carl Parker. Region Two RDC list includes Wazeer Latiff of the WPA. Notably absent from the list is PNCR stalwart Aubrey Norton.

During an invited comment on Monday, Norton said: “Nobody has said anything to me and I don’t have a clue… I don’t know I am just listening to the speculations and comments,” he stated.

It has been reported that several supporters had picketed the coalition over the non-inclusion of Norton from its list of 26 parliamentarians expected to sit in the 65-seat National Assembly. Norton and Corbin have had several falls outs.

APNU won 16 seats on the National Top-Up List, 10 seats on the Regional Geographic Constituencies’ List and 73 seats on the 10 Regional Democratic Councils.

“The Leadership of APNU applied the already announced “CEGGO principle” – Competence, Ethnicity, Gender, Geographical, and Generational and Occupational diversity – to determine those candidates to be extracted.” That aside, APNU noted that the selection of candidates was not an easy one as there were many candidates to choose from. There was “extensive consultation” with the various partners and campaign managers in various parts of the country.

The release continued: “The extracted persons from the lists, therefore, reflect the commitment given by APNU before the elections and provide a unique balance of competent people of all ages from all geographic regions of Guyana, all ethnic groups and occupations. Women and youth are well represented and the partnership is confident that its extracted candidates present a competent and experienced team to work for the achievement of the objectives outlined in our manifesto and to provide adequate representation of the more than 139,678 voters who expressed confidence in APNU at the last elections.”