WPA leaves Coalition over sidelining of small parties

Aug 22, 2020 News

---

– Contradicts Granger on consultations

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) has decided to part ways with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) coalition over what it considers violations of governing principles of coalition politics and the sidelining of the collective’s smaller constituents.
In its rebuke of the actions of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) leadership of APNU, WPA has notably contradicted the statement of the coalition leadership, David Granger, who had said that all stakeholders were consulted in the decision-making on the parliamentary list of the APNU+AFC coalition.
The WPA makes the second constituent of the coalition to speak in reproof of the internal politics of the APNU coalition, and by extension, APNU+AFC, after it became known that the Justice For All Party (JFAP), led by Chandra Narine Sharma, is actively reviewing its membership within the coalition.
The period leading up to the publication of the list saw Granger casting aspersions on ‘cardboard parties’ which, in his view, did not deserve representation in the National Assembly. Coming to its own defence, the party said that its contributions to the formation and evolution of APNU have been “relatively formidable”.
“For a party without much material resources,” it stated, “we have endeavoured to compensate in areas in which our strengths are manifest. “
In that regard, the WPA noted its contribution toward the development of the APNU+AFC coalition’s elections 2020 manifesto, participation on the campaign platform “when we were allowed”, and in the coalition’s defence during the five- month post-election standoff.
That being said, the party registered its discontentment with the fact that it was informed by media reports that APNU decided on its representatives for the next National Assembly, with no prior consultation. It said that it was only informed that its Chairperson, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley was selected as one of the persons after it wrote the PNCR General Secretary, Amna Ally to enquire about the state of affairs.
“We view this as uncomradely, disrespectful, insulting, a gross disregard for principle and, therefore, unacceptable,” the WPA stated. It requested the removal of its two nominees from the APNU list for Parliament and the Region Four Regional Democratic Council (RDC).
It also noted reports of exclusions of representatives for the other small parties, and said that such actions have changed the electoral image of the APNU and destroyed the organisation’s election franchise.
Kaieteur News was informed by JFAP that it was left out of the list, presumably because it spoke out against the coalition’s “wrongdoings” during the 2020 electoral saga. It had called on Granger to concede, but he had claimed that he had no record of those concerns being raised.
Granger’s APNU had come out with a statement recently, dismissing any such accusations of non-consultation as “mistaken, misleading and misplaced”. The statement claimed that all stakeholders were consulted before the list was submitted. According to the APNU statement, “it would be false and regrettable, for anyone to state that small parties within the APNU are being used, abused and discarded.”
This adds to a much larger conversation about consultations within APNU. WPA, for one, said that the rights of the partners to contribute to decision-making have not been recognised, nor have the rights of each party to decide on its own representative(s) to the Parliament, RDC or Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC). It said that it had made that position clear before in the Ministry of the Presidency Media Centre, but later found out that its Region 10 nominee was left out of the list of candidates.
“These violations have threatened to dismantle the APNU,” The WPA stated.
Notably, the party pointed out that it has on several occasions drawn attention to a culture of non-consultation within the coalition, with decisions being made without the input of some constituent parties.
“In other words,” it said, “we have had to live with PNC’s decisions being imposed on the rest of the APNU. Unfortunately, although the Coalition is now out of power, nothing has changed for the better within the APNU.”
It posited that its posturing to preserve the longevity of the coalition, in the context of those actions, have attracted “the worst kinds of criticisms imaginable.”This newspaper had reached out to the WPA during the election season with questions on various electoral matters, but they were not answered. In the face of that recently concluded electoral saga, the WPA said that it can no longer be business as usual.
The party noted that it believes coalition politics is necessary for Guyana’s survival as a nation-state. However, due to the “bludgeoning” of the APNU partners, it has not ascertained that there will be significant changes within the coalition on the issues it has raised.
Yet, it has left the door open for reconciliation, on several conditions. It has requested that the WPA be immediately accorded the right to determine its own representatives, and that the principle be enshrined in the APNU Charter. It has also asked for the implementation of the recommendations of the Corbin Report. If these recommendations are fulfilled within the next two months, the WPA will revisit its decision.

 

---

---