AFC releases agreement with APNU, despite confidentiality clause

Last Updated on Friday, 24 January 2025, 17:17 by Writer

The Alliance For Change (AFC) on Thursday released its agreement with the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), despite an iron-clad confidentiality clause that prohibits both sides from disclosing its contents.

AFC executive member, Catherine Hughes maintained that the accord, which was signed last Monday by party leader Nigel Hughes and APNU Chairman Aubrey Norton, remained on “life support” and “not in a good place”. She explained the reason for her party posting the agreement on its Facebook page although the two sides agreed that there should be no public disclosure about its contents.

“Clearly it was released to a few persons and the trust was broken. There were inaccuracies reported. Now all can check what it was about. A stop to the inaccurate inferences and speculation,” Mrs Hughes told Demerara Waves Online News.

APNU has so far not made any similar official release.

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.

Hours after the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed, a senior PNCR official leaked aspects of the document and that prompted outrage by the AFC. At a news conference held later that day, the AFC Leader declined to say what was needed to revive the chances of a coalition between APNU and AFC. “There is a confidentiality clause in the agreement and I would not want to seek to breach that by disclosing what those conditions would necessarily be at this time. It has the risk of being far more prejudicial than helpful so forgive me,” he had said. He had stressed that “trust and confidentiality for us are particularity important for us”.

The PNCR Leader and APNU Chairman was Thursday quoted by the privately-owned independent Stabroek News newspaper as denying that a senior PNCR official disclosed aspects of the accord and suggested that the AFC grabbed the opportunity of the disclosure to scuttle the renewed formal engagement with APNU. “It was done, we did it in all confidence and then out of the blue the information arrived in Demerara Waves, alleging that high-ranking PNC person gave them information. No high-ranking person gave them info and to me, the intention [of the AFC] was to find a way to not have the discussion. I see this as an attempt to probably score cheap political points rather than deal with the question of removing the PPP from office,” Mr Norton said.

The AFC said the MOU with APNU does not provide for the presidential candidacy. For his part, Mr Hughes said that would have to be determined by polls and other criteria.

The PNCR’s Congress last year approved a resolution that its leader, Mr Norton, would be the presidential candidate and mandated him only to change that decision if required.

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 and 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.