Coalition fallout: Some AFC supporters outraged, threaten poll boycott

By Michael Younge

Feelings of outrage, disappointment and shock ran through various quarters of the Alliance For Change (AFC) East Coast Demerara (ECD) constituency following the party’s decision to enter into a coalition agreement with the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

Several AFC groups and activists interviewed by this publication on Wednesday claimed that they were never consulted or given the opportunity to vent how they felt about either the decision to enter coalition talks or to coalesce with APNU. In fact, scores are claiming that the party held little or no consultations with its grassroots support base or those who have given the AFC the support at the ballot boxes that led to it increasing its parliamentary strength after the 2011 polls.

Fifty-two-year-old Shaline Baksh of Coldingen, East Coast Demerara explained that she was almost certain that even after discussions, the AFC would have stood its ground and gone to the polls alone. For her, the party that she joined since 2006 after being fed-up with the PPP/C was no longer her home.

 “I liked the AFC, because they were different. They were not like the PNC or PPP. I wanted change, but now I feel like Mr Moses (Nagamootoo) and Khemraj did their own thing without asking us what we wanted,” she said.

Baksh said that she was leaving the AFC as she was unwilling to give her vote to an alliance with the PNC or APNU because of her experiences with both in the past.

Additionally, a cane harvester from AFC’s traditional Enmore-Foulis constituency made it clear that he and his family were unwilling to vote the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) out to make way for David Granger.

“If it was Moses…yes, but now I feel them chaps sell us out. They promised us that they would never join forces with deh PNC or APNU. Moses promise we in de sugar field that he gon wuk for AFC to become Government and be better than de PPP,” the 43-year-old man alleged.

Another woman who chose to be identified only by Savatri said that she felt betrayed and was forced to admit that the PPP/C was right when it alleged that a vote for one is a vote for both. “Me did hear Ramotar and Jagdeo say dah, but me did thought that they were bluffing people to keep us in de PPP. How Moses gon do dah? He know dem people do not care bout us, dem only want we vote and I not voting deh PPP out for dead,” she said strongly.

Others who spoke under the condition of anonymity with this newspaper claimed that the deal which was hurriedly put together to save shame, was done only so that the AFC could get positions and power in Government.

“I don’t care bout power. I trusted the AFC ‘cause I don’t trust the PNC or Granger. I not vex that dem collate. I vex that they didn’t join deh PPP. I don’t think I voting for no APNU Government”, a 32-year-old hairdresser from Annandale said.