JOPP says coalition talks making progress

The Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) grouping is proceeding with its plans to contest the 2011 general elections as a team, and is optimistic that this approach would bring success. Within a few days, the group is to make an announcement on its progress and plans, PNCR leader Robert Corbin disclosed on January 4.

In an invited comment, GAP/ROAR Member of Parliament Everall Franklin said the body has been meeting with various interest groups as negotiations continue. Asked what the response was like to those discussions, he related that individuals and groups with whom the group has been meeting seem ‘optimistic’. 

They believe that a united approach will bring greater success, he explained. “The broadest possible representation is what we need.” When asked if any progress was made in regard to selecting a presidential candidate, Franklin said that discussions in that regard are irrelevant at this stage. “We have to have a programme idea that people can hold on to,” he outlined, even as he pointed out that this was most important. 

JOPP’s plan is to create a Guyana in which “citizens can live productive lives free from the ravages of poverty; are secure in their homes and in their communities; and are able to enjoy the benefits of political, social and cultural liberation.” 

The participating political parties are convinced that a positive transformation of Guyana can be achieved only by an inclusive coalition party built around political parties, organised labour, farmers’ organisations, community-based organisations, faith-based organisations, civil society bodies, and patriotic citizens.

The JOPP comprises the PNC/R, Guyana Action Party (GAP), the National Front Alliance (NFA) and the Working

People’s Alliance (WPA). 

AFC alliances

Meanwhile, the Alliance For Change (AFC), the country’s third largest political party, has declined the offer to join forces with the JOPP; and Guyana Times understands that its National Executive Committee has decided not to join forces with either of the major political parties to contest the 2011 general elections. Party chairman and presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan told the Guyana Times International in an earlier interview that the AFC was not ‘compatible or like-minded’ with either of the parties. As such, the party has itself begun its quest to forge strategic alliances with key civil society personnel and organisations. Party leader Raphael Trotman told this publication on Tuesday that that process, headed by the party’s co-chair, Sheila Holder, has already started. 

He said the immediate plan is to strengthen the AFC’s approach and ensure that the party is in a state of readiness to contest the elections. “We want to make sure we are as strong as we can be,” he expressed. The AFC has been meeting various groups and interested persons, including trade union leaders, private citizens and defecting members of various political parties. 

He believes these ongoing meetings represent a level of enthusiasm among citizens. Answering questions about a seemingly fading AFC, Trotman said, “The Obama Syndrome” is influenced by ongoing work the party has been doing, recognising that delivery is much harder than it’s purported to be. 

“We do recognise that this is an election year, and we will be unveiling some things very shortly,”  Observers had questioned the rationale behind such a move, since many of the civil society groups are either already slanted towards a political party or are divided, as in the case of the labour movement. 

Ramjattan thinks it is not going to be an easy task, because there are many civil society entities which are already supporting a political party. This, however, does not deter the AFC from courting the second-tier leadership and membership of those civil society entities.