Victory for the coalition is assured

Dec 16, 2018 AFC Column, Features / Columnists

During the general debate on the 2019 National Budget, Prime Minister and Party Elder Statesman, Moses Nagamootoo, stated that for the 2020 elections, victory for the APNU+AFC coalition is assured. He debunked fake claims that the AFC had been decimated in Whim at the 2018 LGE, and had become “dead meat”. The truth tells a very different story.
At the 2016 Local Government Elections, the APNU+AFC coalition fielded a single candidate in Whim. She polled 31 votes.
In 2018, AFC contested independently. AFC got 62 votes – which is a 100% increase! This tiny party, AFC, has made in-roads into the PPP’s ethnic fortress.
The statistics are unlike the performance of the PPP. The PPP had claimed victory in Buxton, but what are the facts? In Constituency 2 (Buxton – Friendship, ECD), in the First-Past-The-Post contest, APNU secured 1,336; AFC -103, and PPP/C got zero.
Where were the 20 backers who the PPP claimed, had supported their candidate?
Prime Minister Nagamootoo pointed to foul campaigning by the PPP in Wakenaam where, at Rush Brook/Maria Johanna, they presented signatures of dead and fake backers. Similar claims have been made with regards to Mabaruma and Hosororo, where there have been fake voters and abuse of the proxy procedure, both of which are being investigated by the Elections Commission.
The PM went on to say, “I had until now remained silent on the wicked allegations (made by the PPP) about Whim, but silence does not mean surrender!
Let us look at the true strength of the AFC. The AFC fielded full slates in 4 municipalities – Georgetown, Linden, Mahdia and Mabaruma; and in 3 NDCs – Bloomfield/Whim, Mocha/Arcadia and Diamond/Grove.
Total votes cast: 43,295. APNU won 24,881 or 57.46%; PPP – 13,106 or 30.27%; and AFC – 4,964 or 11.40%.
The AFC had complained about the various acts perpetrated by the PPP which amounted to political threats and terrorism. An attempt was even made to burn down the house of an AFC candidate, and there were claims that voters were bribed.
The PPP then went on to claim that the AFC received only 4% of total votes cast. But, even the Stabroek News which has appeared to unleash a negative campaign against the AFC, wrote that the party won 8,719 votes in 27 constituencies, which is 8% of votes, counting those constituencies only.
We don’t accept the 4% myth, but in Guyana’s political arena, even the 4% is enough to keep the PPP out of government.
Opposition MP, Mr. Croal, cited figures to show that the PPP had won a “landslide”, but our figures show the following:-
PPP secured 122,307; PNC 68,060; AFC 8,719, and Others 2,995. They fooled their supporters saying that the LGE was a Referendum, and that they should vote to throw the Coalition out.
Out of 572,531 persons on the national register, only 208,534 turned out (36%). It is clear that the PPP failed to motivate its own supporters to come out and vote.
They boast that PPP got 61 percent of votes cast, but let’s fit this into the national elections context:
On the basis of the registered voters of 585,727 for the 2015 General Elections, the PPP would have secured only 20.8 percent. On the basis of 71 percent turnout of 415,970 voters at those elections, the PPP would have secured 29.4 percent. So where is this landslide?
The PPP is fooling its supporters, and it knows this.
Yes, Coalition supporters also did not turn out and there is any number of reasons for this. The PPP did not hold Local Government Elections since 1994, or 20 years ago, and our people had lost interest. They seem to have developed apathy and appear to have little to no interest in these elections to choose their community leaders. However, the Opposition is not doing themselves or their supporters any favours by trying to label this apathy as acquiescence.
From all appearances, by the time 2020 elections come around, so much would have changed that it would tell a different story. We are confident that our people will rally around their Government that is truly a caring Government. The Guyanese population will be ready to stand up and fight for victory.

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