Ramjattan under pressure again!

-another AFC executive member calls for coalition with PNC

Mr. Michael Carrington

Executive member of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Michael Carrington late Wednesday warned of disillusionment and low voter turn-out among youths if there's no pre-electoral alliance between his party and the main opposition Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR).

Mr. Carrington, who said he has been waging a six-month old battle within the AFC for an alliance with the PNCR, made known his position at a WPA-organised public forum "Groundings" themed: 'After the AFC's decision, What?'

"If we go into an election fragmented, where basically the parties go on their own, most of the youths today will feel naturally that no one single party can win the election and what they will do is just stay home and the PPP (Peoples Progressive Party) go back there (in power)," he said.

This comes in the face of earlier reports which suggest that the AFC's two leaders, Raphael Trotman and Khemraj Ramjattan are in a leadership battle following the failure by the party’s top-brass in June to honour a rotation agreement that would have seen Ramjattan take over as AFC leader.
Sources in the party revealed that Trotman’s faction insists that Ramjattan is unsuitable to lead the AFC, while the Ramjattan group accused the party’s prime movers of alienation tactics.
They said the AFC was badly hurt by the infighting.
Businessman, Mr. Peter Ramsaroop, who resigned as AFC Chief Executive Officer and withdrew his membership of the party, publicly expressed his displeasure at Ramjattan’s leadership.
Trotman, a former PNCR executive member, had publicly expressed his preference for an alliance with the PNCR while Ramjattan is not in favour of such a move.
Earlier this year, Trotman accused PNCR Leader, Robert Corbin of being in secret talks with President Bharrat Jagdeo on a shared governance agreement for the 2011 elections.
Trotman flatly declared then that the AFC was not discussing an alliance with the PNCR, but Corbin said the two parties have had several meetings, discussions and consultations on the issue.