Cracks are beginning to appear in the APNU-AFC Coalition Govt.

Oct 01, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor;
The APNU-AFC administration has already gone past one-quarter of its term in office provided of course that nothing happens during the remaining period to cut short or even nullify its full term in office. The elections petition challenging the legality of the elections by the PPP/C is still before the courts and as far as the Party is concerned, it has enough evidence to put forward a credible case that the election results as declared by GECOM may not be a true reflection of the voting preferences of the Guyanese electorate.
Be that as it may, the performance of the APNU-AFC administration has so far been disappointing to many, including supporters of the APNU and its junior partner in the coalition, the AFC. Already, cracks are beginning to appear in the coalition as manifested in the open divergence of views on fundamental issues in the Georgetown City Council between the Mayor and her Deputy who politically are from the APNU and the AFC respectively. The Deputy Mayor, Mr. Sherod Duncan appeared to have been treated as a step-child by the APNU-dominated Council and despite the intervention of President Granger himself, there appears to be no sign of consensus on the way forward by these two political groupings.
The treatment meted out to the AFC by the dominant partner in the coalition is reminiscent of that given by the PNC to the United Force, following the elections of 1964 which saw the formation of the PNC-UF coalition government. The coalition lasted for three years as the United Force was booted out of the government on the eve of the 1968 “elections” but not before the PNC took full control of the elections machinery and was able to perpetuate its life in government without the need for any support from the United Force.
I thought of providing a context to what appears to be a growing schism between the APNU and the AFC and which, like the 1964 period could see a marginalisation and possible decimation of the AFC as a viable political organisation in subsequent years. This is not unusual in coalition politics as is dramatically playing out in countries such as Greece and Spain where coalitions hardly last out a full term due to a lack of policy coherence and articulation.
In the case of the current APNU-AFC coalition, it has failed to implement several of its Manifesto promises the most notably of which was the granting of substantial salary increases to public service employees and the honoring of the principle of collective bargaining with labour unions. Despite a façade of negotiations with the GPSU, the administration went on to unilaterally impose a differentiated salary increase ranging from one to ten percent. The Guyana Teachers Union was completely bypassed in favour of an across the board increase imposed by the government. These increases pale into insignificance when compared to what the government gave to those in the higher echelons of power. One would have thought that the government would have led by example when it comes to financial prudence but all of that was thrown overboard by the hefty increases given to Cabinet members.
The failure to advance the process of constitutional reforms along the lines of greater inclusivity and participatory governance is another issue which appeared to be in cold storage despite a much publicised constitutional commission committee report submitted to the Prime Minister but still to be made public. This was high on the list of Manifesto promises but for some unknown reason is not being treated as a priority matter. The same could be said for the National Procurement Commission which is still to be made operational despite the appointment by Parliament of Commission Members. This is all the more needed in light of recent tendering and evaluation procedures which defied the cannons of transparency and value for money.
The administration has scored badly on the economy which has contracted over the past year. This has resulted in reduced consumer spending and a de-acceleration of the economy. This could lead to reduced employment opportunities especially in the construction and agro-based sectors. The performance of the social sectors, in particular the security sector is cause for much concern. In an about turn, the administration has now abdicated all responsibility for finding jobs for the growing army of unemployed despite its Manifesto promises to create employment opportunities for Guyanese in particular youths.
The score card of the current administration is not good and there does not seem to be any silver lining on the distant horizon. Depending on some future miracle such as oil to lift the economy out of doldrums could be a pie in the sky given the downstream risks associated with ventures of such nature.
Hydar Ally

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