Has AFC independence been compromised—Dr. David Hinds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015 | BY KNEWS | FILED UNDER NEWS

–party silent on many of the day’s issues The Alliance for Change (AFC) has been facing much criticism for its perceived communication block with many questioning whether the party has gone to sleep. The party, once characterized by its frequent press conferences, has not held any since it won the May 2015 General and Regional elections.

Political Activist and University Professor, Dr. David Hinds, recently queried the silence of the AFC, positing that the party has lost its vibrancy and has stopped its commentary on the day’s issues. He also noted that when party members do speak, it is as a Government functionary. “Gone are its weekly press conferences and frequent commentary on the issues of the day,” Hinds said. “One never knows where the party stands on the major issues such as the salary hike, power sharing with the (People’s Progressive Party) and the debate on the sugar industry. When its members speak they do so as Government functionaries.” He noted that no major AFC leaders have spoken up on these issues. At least those leaders not involved in the inner workings of the government would be expected to play such a role, he added. “This leads one to wonder whether the AFC independence has been compromised by its presence in the government,” he continued. “The PPP had predicted this outcome and has been making that observation both publicly and quietly among the (East) Indian Guyanese constituency, where the AFC got the bulk of its support.” Hinds also noted that many AFC members are unhappy with the party’s muted or disappearing independence, as this is what had set them apart from Guyana’s main political parties- the then People’s National Congress (PNC), later A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the PPP, in the first place. “This (disconnection) between the first and second-tier membership could become problematic,” he observed. “The very fact that the party seems immobilized is testimony to this apparent apathy among the second-level members who would be expected to keep the party’s machinery going in the absence of the top leadership who are busy on government duty.” Hinds also approached the party’s role in the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGE), a date for which was set a few days ago as March 18, 2016. He labeled the elections as a referendum on the government’s tenure since May 11. “There is no secret that after the initial love fest, the government has drifted away from the pulse of its supporters,” he said. “The big challenge for the coalition, whether they run as one entity or separately, is the extent to which they can mobilize their supporters to go to the polls.” “It would be an important election for the governing coalition and the opposition PPP. In effect, both entities would be on trial,” he continued. “And worst of all, the AFC faces the real possibility of being totally rejected by the (constituency). While the AFC has been busy governing, the PPP has been intensely working that community with a vicious anti-AFC poison that should not be underestimated.”