Co-founder and former leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Raphael Trotman is expected to resign from the National Assembly next week, according to the party.
In a statement, the AFC said that the long-serving Member of Parliament is expected to leave the 12th Parliament next week in order to create space for new leadership training.
The AFC said Trotman had indicated before the staging of its National Conference, back in June, that he would not be available for nomination as he would be resigning mid-term in the life of the present Assembly to allow for rotation and space for new leadership training.
After its defeat at the March 2020 polls, AFC was given nine seats in the National Assembly by its coalition partner – APNU. When it submitted the names of its MPs back in August 2020, AFC said that a number of its parliamentarians would be replaced halfway through the life of the Assembly.
“The AFC also commits to the rotation of seats where, midterm, some of our deserving members will be considered to replace seated Parliamentarians from our initial list,” a statement had said.
Yesterday, AFC said that Trotman’s intention to resign is in keeping with its promises.
When asked whether the party has already identified Trotman’s replacement, current AFC Chair Cathy Hughes said “when we were submitting our names for the 12th parliament, we also identified who is next in line so we do know that. However, I would not wish to comment on that at this time.”
AFC said that it is proud of the work that Trotman provided over the years as a valuable member of its team and as MP.
Trotman has served as a Member of the National Assembly continuously from 1998 to present, and during that time, has been the 10th Speaker of the National Assembly and served on many Standing and Select Committees including those on Constitution Reform, Security, Foreign Affairs and Natural Resources, and contributed to the passage of scores of critical pieces of legislation. He also led several parliamentary delegations to international conferences and meetings in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Peru, Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Barbados, Mexico, and New Zealand, among others.
“Although leaving the National Assembly, Mr Trotman will remain a member of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the AFC and continue to provide counsel to the leadership of the AFC on a range of national and regional developments. He will also continue to render his expert counsel on the nascent oil production sector,” AFC said.
During the tenure of the last APNU+AFC administration, Trotman served firstly as Minister of Governance and then as Minister of Natural Resources. Trotman was also the AFC’s presidential candidate for the 2006 General Election.
In addition to Trotman and Hughes, the other parliamentarians are Ramjattan, Juretha Fernandes, Sherod Duncan, Ricky Ramsaroop, Devin Sears, David Patterson and Haimraj Rajkumar.
Back in 2005, it was Trotman, current AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan and the late Sheila Holder that formed the AFC, which quickly rose to prominence. The party was seen as a potential third force that could hold the balance between the PNCR and PPP/C.
