WPA lays down firm conditions for rejoining PNCR-led APNU

Last Updated on Monday, 4 November 2024, 22:08 by Writer

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on Monday vowed that it would not return to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) unless there is democratic and consultative decision-making.

“The APNU will have to convince us that it will become a democratic organisation…We made it very clear that the APNU should not become a a substitute for government but that the member parties should be involved in discussion,” presidential candidate David Hinds said.

He said “big policy issues” should be taken to the APNU Council for discussions, debate and recommendations, rather than APNU affiliates, including the PNCR, learning of decisions in the media as had been the case in the 2015-2020 government.

Other conditions for re-coalescing with APNU, Dr HInds said, included the need for the large party not to dominate the small parties and respect decision-making.

Dr Hinds said, on behalf of the WPA, he was “in constant contact” with PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton and a WPA delegation had one meeting with the Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader, Nigel Hughes but none of those interactions focussed on establishing a coalition for the 2025 general and regional elections. “Our talks have been confined to a return to the APNU and/or a joint opposition grouping,” he said.

After the 2020 general and regional elections, the WPA had walked away from the David Granger-led APNU, citing a lack of consultation, no APNU council meetings to inform government decision-making and a rejection of the WPA’s nominee to replace Dr Rupert Roopnaraine as a parliamentarian.

Dr Hinds said the WPA sees an opposition coalition as a means of removing the PPP and then engineer the system to involving that Bharrat Jagdeo-led party in a broad national government.

WPA Executive Member, Tacuma Ogunseye said his party believed that the best way to dislodge the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) was through a “grand coalition” of the opposition, but his party would not coalesce with APNU unless there is a c0ncrete commitment to inclusionary democracy. “We, in the WPA looking at the situation in Guyana, are convinced that going forward we must have a united opposition, based upon coalition politics to confront the PPP. We don’t see any other alternative that stands a chance of defeating the PPP so we are very much committed that,” he said. Dr Hinds said the chances of the PNCR winning an election on its own “would be less than winning as part of a larger coalition.”

The PPP was first removed from office in 1964 through a coalition between the Forbes Burnham-led People’s National Congress (PNC) and the United F0rce led by Peter D’Aguiar, and again in 2015 by the PNCR-led APNU and the AFC. In both instances, the coalition broke up as a result of the PNC.

Dr Hinds said a minority government would not work unless the party with a plurality of the 65 parliamentary seats was willing to work with the other parties.