Trotman says will not contest AFC leadership

Given his recent election as Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman said, his days as leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) will soon be over.

“I think my days as leader will soon come to an end,” Trotman told Stabroek News recently. The AFC, he said, plans to hold its biennial conference in March and he will not seek re-election as leader. He indicated that even before he was elected Speaker he had decided not to contest for the post. He indicated though that he is willing to serve in any other capacity within the party.

Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman (right) extends a hand to Deputy Speaker Deborah Backer as they left Parliament at the end of the opening of the 10th Sitting on Thursday. (Photo by Anjuli Persaud)

Trotman, while suggesting that he will most likely hold on to the post until the National Executive Commit-tee (NEC) meets, said he will have to discuss this particular issue with the AFC’s executive.

When asked if there was any conflict with him being Speaker as well as the leader of a party sitting in the House, Trotman said there is precedent of executive members of political parties serving as Speaker of the House. He cited the example of former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran – who is an executive member of the PPP. For this reason, he said there was no reason for him to be rushed or bullied into handing over the leadership of the party immediately, while explaining that he would like to ensure that there is a smooth transfer of the leadership. “I do not want to cling to the leadership but I do believe I have the responsibility to handle it in a responsible manner,” he said. He spoke of a “winding down” of the process and said that there was no need for “immediate or drastic action” on the matter.

It is likely that Khemraj Ramjattan, the party’s current chairman and its presidential candidate at the last elections, may run for the party’s leadership. The AFC was formed in October, 2005 by Trotman, Ramjattan and the late Sheila Holder. Following Thursday’s election of Speaker, Ramjattan was asked if there was a conflict with Trotman being Speaker and AFC Leader and responded: “I don’t know of any right now”. He, however, indicated that it was a matter for the NEC to look at since Trotman has already served two terms as leader and had indicated that he did not want to be involved in any adversarial role in the party.

Meanwhile, Trotman said he will have to take a background role in the party and said he will not be appearing at party press conferences and pronouncing on certain matters knowing that they could eventually appear before the House for debate. According to him, given the unorthodox makeup of this National Assembly, he will have to draw from both the way the Speaker functions in a Westminster Parliament and the manner in which the Speaker in the US Congress functions. “In this Parliament, you would expect that the Speaker would not only look at the government’s agenda but also at the opposition’s agenda,” Trotman said. He said too that it would be key for the opposition and government to work together so they there could be consensus on what business is brought to the House. Trotman also indicated that he would be working closely with the Deputy Speaker Deborah Backer to ensure that the business of the House runs smoothly.