AFC yet to formally approach APNU to review coalition deal

…President insists agreement can be allowed to expire if not reviewed now

Some three months after announcing plans to review the coalition deal with its governing partner, the Alliance For Chance (AFC) is yet to formally approach the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) for this to be done.
“I have not received any word from the Leader of the Alliance For Change,” President David Granger, who is the Leader of the APNU, told reporters on Wednesday.
The APNU and AFC celebrated their third anniversary since signing the “lovers’ deal” which formed the coalition that is now governing the country.
However, the AFC of recent has come under fire for the submissive role it has been playing since joining forces with the APNU. In fact, the top leadership of the AFC had decided back mid-November to revise its governing agreement with its coalition partner.
But according to President Granger, his party is committed to the coalition and the Accord.

“What I can assure you is that the A Partnership for National Unity, which I led, has had several meetings and in the event that the Alliance For Change would like to meet or to discuss, we’re quite prepared,” he stated.
The Cummingsburg Accord has a lifespan of a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years, and was focused primarily on the General and Regional Elections. As such, the Head of State explained that the AFC has several options, including allowing the agreement to proceed as is until its expiration in two years’ time.
“All I can say at this point in time is that there is no compulsion that the Accord be reviewed… (The AFC) can allow it to expire in 2020 or it can make request for a meeting but the A Partnership for National Unity is committed to coalition politics and I would say that the advent of the coalition into Government has been good for Guyana – we are better together and we would like to see the Accord continue,” Granger opined.
Last month, AFC’s Leader Raphael Trotman told reporters at a press conference that the party has already identified a team that will represent their interest in talks with the APNU.
The Cummingsburg Accord Review Committee (CARC) has eight members which include Dr Vincent Adams, Dr Rohan Somar, Marlon Williams, David Patterson, Joel Edmond, Sherod Duncan and one representative each from the party’s Women for Change and Youth for Change.
The AFC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) has mandated that the party’s leadership formally write to APNU with regard to the review and revision of the Cummingsburg Accord. Trotman had committed to doing so to initiate discussions with its coalition partner. But several months have passed and Trotman is yet to write the APNU.
This process had to be completed by the third anniversary of the signing of the Accord, February 14, 2018.
On the other hand, following the AFC’s decision to review the Accord, the minority party in the coalition Government went on to announce last month that it is considering contesting the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE) separate from the APNU.
However, when contacted on Wednesday, Chairman of the AFC, Khemraj Ramjattan, indicated that the party will be discussing these matters and make the necessary decisions at their National Executive Meeting which will be held on Saturday.