The Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) comprising the PNCR, GAP, WPA and the NFA, yesterday announced that they would continue consultations towards forming a broad partnership to contest the next general elections.
The announcement followed a recent decision by the AFC that has ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the main opposition PNCR, scuttling chances of a broad opposition coalition. Following a meeting on Tuesday, the JOPP said that they had agreed to delay consultations with interested groups, in order to await a definitive position from the AFC’s National Executive Committee. “…The process would be advanced, notwithstanding the decision of the National Executive Committee of the AFC,” the JOPP said in a statement, while noting that the meeting agreed that the future of the citizens of Guyana was too important at this time to put the consultations on hold. “The consensus is that the development of Guyana and the future of its citizens demand urgent progressive action which must involve all who are concerned about Guyana,” it added.
Among the groups to be consulted will be all interested political parties, trade unions, religious and cultural organisations, business organisations, professional organisations and other civil society groups.
Additionally, a Technical Team representing various stakeholders has been authorised to continue the finalisation of a draft Statement of Principles to guide the broad partnership. The draft Statement of Principles will be the subject of discussion with interested parties during the process of consultation, the JOPP said, explaining that details such as the structure and modalities of the proposed partnership would be finalised with the full participation of all interested parties.
It added that the public will be kept updated on progress.
The AFC has said the pre-election exclusion of both the PNCR and the ruling PPP/C from the process of alliance building and partnership “was in recognition that these two parties are wholly incompatible with the AFC, which is the party of the future; and, that the AFC ultimately will not be able to maintain its identity and core principles if it were to ally with either one of them.”
The party set up a four-member team to engage as soon as possible with like-minded individuals, personalities and entities towards forging alliances. It also acknowledged a minority view among its executive that the door should not be closed on the possibility of forming alliances with the PPP/C and/or the PNCR.
Meanwhile, a citizen’s initiative to formalise an elections partnership has also been launched. The initiative comprises persons from all races, genders, religions, classes and wage groups as well as political parties and they say they are all united by their commitment to improve the standards of political behaviour, public dealings, social discourse, transparency and accountability. The group has issued a draft protocol intended to formalise an elections partnership, which it proposes should be built on the paramountcy of the interests of the Guyanese people as a whole at all times. It also noted that in contemplating the most appropriate model for the future management of the country’s affairs “account should be taken of experiences of the past 30 years when candidates of both major political parties occupied the office of the Executive President where power is over-centralized.”
Already, the AFC has said it is considering the group’s proposals “very seriously” while a source close to the group has said that an announcement would be made shortly on how interested members of the public and the diaspora can share their opinions on the initiative.
