AFC, APNU leave door open to continue talks despite confidentiality breach

Last Updated on Saturday, 25 January 2025, 8:41 by Writer

The Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Friday left open the likelihood of resuming talks about plans to contest this year’s general elections, despite a breach of confidentiality in their agreement.

AFC Chairman, David Patterson said his party will return to the table with APNU and take the talks off “life support” on a number of conditions including “complete respect for the negotiation process” by both parties and all party and personal preconditions are put aside in the interest of what is good for Guyana.

The AFC wants the development of a clear mutually agreed political platform alternative to the current government for joint presentation to Guyanese.

All of that work, Mr Patterson said, must be completed by the strictly adhered to deadline of March 31, 2025.

The APNU-AFC memorandum of understanding, which was signed last Monday also provides for an extension of that deadline if both parties agree that more time is needed.

For his part, Leader of the PNCR and APNU, Aubrey Norton said, “I believe that we have the ability to engage and resolve any issues that emerged” as the overriding priority is to “get rid of a corrupt, incompetent party named the PPP” that is misusing and mismanaging Guyana’s resources.

On the matter of the presidential candidacy, he restated the decision by the PNCR’s Congress that he would be and also he would solely decide on any changes. AFC Leader Nigel Hughes earlier this week said the presidential candidacy would have to be based on surveys and other criteria.

Although concerned about the release of aspects of the memorandum of understanding, the AFC on Thursday released the document on its Facebook page. The accord prohibits strictly the release of any information about their discussions. The confidentiality provision states that, “both parties agree that all discussions, documents, proposals and related information shared during the negotiating process and subsequent agreement shall remain strictly confidential. No party shall disclose any such information to third parties without prior written consent of the other party. This confidentiality clause shall remain in effect even if discussions are terminated without agreement,” the agreement states.

The accord envisages a two-phase approach, with the first being a common campaign political platform and, if that is successful, they would commence the development of a coalition contesting the governance structure. “It is accepted that the phase one component of this initiative is indispensable to the removal of the current government from office in the next general and regional elections and must be pursued in earnest. Phase Two is not guaranteed and is highly dependent on being able to fashion a practicable workable set of governance arrangements without sacrificing the identity and vision of any of the participating parties,” APNU and AFC said in the agreement.

They agreed to develop a comprehensive political framework for parties to ensure that all demographics are targeted and serviced adequately, develop a mechanism for coordinated public relations communications for integrated messaging and narrative, and develop a high-level national campaign management team to be guided by a political work programme.

APNU and AFC agreed to formulate a budget in United States dollars and the agreed funds would be provided in three instalments.

Jamaican political strategist, Alston Stewart, who has been associated with the AFC before the 2015 elections, is one of the negotiators and another is a well-known former Guyanese diplomat.