OPPOSITION POLITICAL RIFT WIDENS

THE war of words and the widening of a row between the Alliance For Change (AFC) Presidential Candidate Mr. Khemraj Ramjattan and Presidential Candidate of the newly formed ‘A Partnership for National Unity’ (APNU) Mr. David Granger over whose political movement has more support, is continuing. The two leaders have been at logger-heads for the past weeks, with the latest being who is likely to do well at the upcoming elections slated for later this year.

Granger, earlier this week, told sections of the media that the AFC is “not a force to be reckon with” as the party has “poor support”.

“The AFC lacks the popular support to secure the presidency at the next elections; yet its presidential candidate refuses to enter a partnership that will unseat the PPP/C and bring better Government to Guyana,” Granger told the media.

Granger claimed that Ramjattan lacks vision and is afraid of joining forces with APNU and, as such, “the AFC will do badly at the upcoming elections.”

But Ramjattan, in a passionate rebuttal, said he will not be bullied by Granger and his cohorts, noting that Granger is “misreading the facts in a major way.”

“Tell Mr. Granger and the People’s National Congress that they have really misconstrued the sentiments on the ground,” Ramjattan said.

He stressed that Granger and the PNC “made a mess of the country and campaigned on the basis of race”, adding that “the APNU is the P-N-C in disguise.”

Ramjattan said the PNC and Granger “can continue living in that ignorance” but he will not be bullied by the other opposition groups.

“It also shows an arrogance that still persists with the PNC; they must bully people into coming to join them up. Well Ramjattan nor the AFC will not be bullied, we understand what the PNC did to this country,” Ramjattan said.


The two parties have been at logger heads for sometime now after the AFC’s hierarchy was pressured by its membership not to join any coalition with the PNC.

A source close to the AFC said this had led to the major row between Ramjattan and Granger.

Ramjattan, a few weeks ago, described the formation of APNU as “an attempt to turn vinegar into wine” after Granger was quoted in the media as saying Ramjattan “misread the public will” since there is no desire on the part of the electorate to have another one-party Government.

One AFC executive told this publication recently that Granger is upset since, “out of desperation, he wants to show that the PNC and the other virtually non-existent small opposition parties have mass support, so he wants to piggy-back on the AFC supporters who will vote at the elections”.

The same executive noted that giving Granger any support is the last thing the AFC supporters would want and that the AFC will not be fooled by the “window-dressing” unity it is currently speaking about.