The PPP is not scared of a coalition

Jul 05, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,

It behoves me to point out to certain members of the public and the political instigators at large that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is not scared of a coalition in this country for the simple fact that such a government formation has no hope of attaining the presidency of this nation.

I, like many other Guyanese in and out of Guyana, have been following the veritable flood of correspondence being carried in the local newspapers with regard to a possible and very likely coalition agreement between the Alliance for Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). But for one to seriously think that such a grouping would bear any sort of fruit capable of capturing the presidency is farfetched and a figment of overactive imaginations.

Raphael Trotman, who serves as second leader or Chairman of the AFC, or should we refer to him as the PNC half of the AFC, does not inspire confidence in any of the populace, even those that the party primarily sought to attract in the first run up to the 2006. This has not changed; rather it has gotten worse as he is being seen more and more as a PNC bad boy trying to hide under the guise of civility and respectability which the AFC touts itself as.

Then we have Khemraj Ramjattan, the PPP half of the AFC, who is merely a loudmouthed former PPP stalwart, given to tantrums and histrionics when things do not go his way. Both of these individuals were grassroots supporters of the two major political parties in this country, both of which have supporters who distrust the other.

Let me point out what a Coalition really is; “A coalition government is one in which several political parties must cooperate in order to run a country or region. These types of governments are often times considered quite weak because there is no majority party. In such cases, the only way policy gets approved is by making concessions in order to form a coalition and gain power.”

Can the public seriously imagine either the PNCR leadership, which has seen a horrendous in-house squabbling resulting in the eventual ripping apart of certain factions of the party; or take the AFC, which before it finally and seemingly grudgingly announced Ramjattan as the Presidential Candidate for the 2011 elections after much internal rumblings and dissension; agreeing to make “concessions” in order to form a coalition?

If Guyana were to really move forward and chart a new course on the political roadway, shouldn’t we have two, or preferably one leader that has a new mandate, a new vision and a new outlook to the problems that face this country? Instead we have two former party faithfuls who were both practically booted from their positions, and came together to form a party that seems to be built on bitterness and resentment. Is this what they believe the younger generation will be inspired by?

For the AFC to form a coalition with a party (PNCR) that has been ripped apart by in-fighting, that has a leader that is not trusted or even respected by his own support base, would be a travesty and is hardly likely to inspire fear in the ruling party which has over the years sustained and built on its party support base, strengthening it against any attempts, however feeble, to unseat it.

To suggest that this is even possible or the harbinger of fear is preposterous and laughable.

Anna Goodridge