“I’m convinced I made the right decision to quit APNU” – Selman

By Michael Younge

Former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Executive Africo Selman said she refused to be a rubberstamp parliamentarian and a young leader who was made to suffer constant verbal and emotional abuse, at the hands of the elders within her party whenever she expressed independent or dissenting views on political matters within what was supposed to be the comfort of her own party.

Selman, a trained schoolteacher, said that she chose to resign her post as a Member of Parliament (MP) for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) within the 10th Parliament and from its major constituent party, PNCR, of which she was a member after much thought and encouragement from her friends and family who knew the hardships she faced within the two political entities.

Speaking with this publication during an exclusive interview last Thursday, Selman denied that she was either enticed or coaxed by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to resign her post and membership within the main Opposition coalition, which recently entered into a coalition with the Alliance For Change (AFC). “Lots of things are being said about me. I want to say to everyone that I have never been offered any posting, diplomatic or otherwise. I have never been made any offers by the PPP/C and the decision that I have made to leave the APNU was made in principle almost a year ago when some things that I consider to be important for Guyana’s development – bills and budgetary measures – were voted against by my party,” she explained during the interview.

Inclusionary democracy

Selman, who holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Guyana (UG) in International Relations, said that she was made more “uncomfortable” in recent times as a result of the unwillingness of some of the elders within APNU and the PNCR to listen to the concerns of their youths and MPs.

She said, “When leaders make their decisions without consulting you, they are unwilling to change those decisions”, even when there are persons with strong opinions and positions that should be considered on a particular subject matter, bill or motion.

The former APNU MP admitted that she was in full support of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Bill (AML/CTF), the budgetary allocation of monies for the UG Student Loans Projects and other spending in relation to youths but these were axed and not supported by her party despite her expressing reservations about such a move.

“I felt this was not the way to go and I did tell them so,” she remarked.

At this point, Selman felt that she had betrayed the core reasons why she joined the coalition in the first place which was to promote equitable access to education and fight for the rights of youths.

The young politician said she became extremely worried when the practice of meeting, discussing and debating various items on the Order Paper for sittings of the National Assembly became diluted and watered down over the past year and a half moving from monthly meetings which would last a day or hours to a one-hour meeting or half an hour brief. “This, in my opinion, does not give the MPs the opportunity to make our input within the party. I am dissatisfied with that, because I believe in consultation and compromise,” she remarked as she listed the many developments that troubled her.

Chief Whip’s abuse

Selman recalled sending an email to Opposition Leader David Granger on another occasion stating her reasons why APNU should support the Anti-Money Laundering Bill in Parliament, but got the surprise response of her life an hour later. “I received a call from the Chief Whip, Amna Ally who basically lambasted me for an email with my reasons for supporting this bill. I mean she literally cursed me out. She said this is the APNU position – we are not supporting it and you have to go with that,” she said.

The 33-year-old woman said that she “felt really hurt” and “should have not been berated or abused” for expressing her views internally.

She decried the way the other female youth MPs were treated by the Chief Whip and how other MPs were disrespected by seniors within the party. Asked why she would endure such treatment and the unwillingness to at least consider her contributions, Selman said: “I have never stood up to anyone. I have never said to her, this is not the way you should speak to me. When she was finished I would say okay, because I did not want to become a person I am not,” she responded.

Asked to expound further, Selman said: “I was always taught to respect authority. My father said “your ears do not grow past your head” as she admitted that she preferred to comply and toe the party line rather than be further victimised and disrespected.

She said that she saw what happened to her colleague Vanessa Kissoon when she stood up against the seniors and Ally. “I did not want to become a Vanessa Kissoon and be demoted to the back bench and then disrespected.”

Selman recalled complaining to both the party’s General Secretary and Leader David Granger to no avail about the excesses and disrespectful behaviour of Ally. She noted that even another MP, Renita Williams, had formally written Granger complaining about Ally’s outburst and treatment of other young female MPs.

Record, performance

She criticised Granger’s leadership, opining that he “was not doing a good job” as far as protecting the rights of young girls and parliamentarians in the PNC/APNU grouping goes. It appeared as though Granger was using Ally to effect the abuse and was playing a game when approached by the women and youths claiming not to have knowledge of the abuse whenever dissent occurred. “The records would speak for themselves. I have made my contribution. I never shied away from responsibility,” the politician said. She conceded that with her departure, APNU would lose more than one vote as she revealed the disrespect shown by some within the PNC/APNU leadership to her and the work she did for the party.

“I am convinced now that I made the right decision. I would make this decision all over again if I had the chance, but a little earlier,” she remarked.

The politician is open to joining any party or grouping that would share her vision for inclusionary democracy, education and youth development. When pressed, Selman said this included the ruling PPP. Both APNU and the AFC have been accused of undermining the potential of youth within their fold, given Granger’s elitist style of party management. There continues to be a rift between those who hold posts, aspire to hold posts, and are in line to hold posts within the Opposition camp, with infighting, accounts of victimisation and discrimination reaching alarming levels since 2010.