Dear Editor,
Editor, after reading the press statement issued by the AFC on June 30 that they will not join the partnership for national unity, it is clear to me that the goal of the AFC is to be an opposition party. AFC presidential candidate Khemraj Ramjattan is of the opinion that his party has what it takes and is optimistic that his group will win the upcoming elections. It is clear to me that this decision not to join the partnership for national unity is not a unanimous decision among the rank and file of the AFC. I would like to hear Mr. Trotman’s views on this subject.
Editor, all Guyanese have suffered under the 19-year rule of the PPP and this year we have an opportunity for regime change. I have looked at the numbers and it will take mass defections from both the PPP and PNCR constituents for the AFC to win. This is not likely to happen. Yes, our forefathers fought to give us the right to choose, but they also left us with a fractured system that can only be fixed by shared governance and a partnership of patriots who are willing to forego their personal egos and political ambitions, putting country first. The AFC leadership has misread the will of the people and missed an opportunity to be on the right side of history.
This may be posturing and political grandstanding for some politicians, but for most of the electorate this election presents the last best chance of getting a repressive regime off their backs. This is a moment for men and women of good will to put aside their differences and do what is right for the people: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ There are no perfect alliances and there are no perfect partnerships; all of these arrangements like marriages require sacrifice and compromise. The membership of the AFC must demand that their leaders show them a clear path to victory, if not then the question must be asked: ‘Are we in it to win it, or are we just in it?”
Yours faithfully,
Mark Archer
