Would David Granger deny 8 seats to PNCR members and grant these to AFC?

Dear Editor,
The revised Agreement between the PNCR and the AFC indicates that the AFC would be allocated 30% of the Coalition’s total seats in the new Parliament, which translates into 9 seats. While the PNCR stuck with the allocation of seats (40:60) in the original Cummingsburg Accord for the 2015 elections, it does not seem that the PNCR would observe the revised 30:70 formula for Parliamentary seats’ allocation at the 2020 elections.

It may be recalled that when Granger tested the AFC’s political electoral strength at the Local Government Elections in 2018, the AFC was not able to win one Local Authority area. Despite this massive failure, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan insisted that the AFC would bring votes, the equivalent of 11 seats, to the Coalition at the 2020 elections. Whether or not this pronouncement by Ramjattan had satisfied the PNCR leadership is unclear.

The PNCR has many smart people, and it’s possible that they would not agree with Ramjattan’s assertion.
Many analysts have indicated that the most votes the AFC brought to the Coalition at the March 2nd elections was approximately 6,000. Even that amount seems to be generous, according to some observers.

The monumental question is this: Why would the PNCR agree to award AFC 9 seats when the AFC delivered only one seat? Would it be because of the need to adhere to the revised agreement? Well, the original 2015 (Cummingsburg) agreement was breached in several aspects, and what is there to stop the PNCR from replicating this action in 2020?

Why would the PNCR, who worked hard during the election campaign, allow the AFC to displace 8 of their members in Parliament? This issue becomes more troubling when the PNCR and most Guyanese know that the AFC had almost been obliterated from the political landscape.

If the PNCR members accept this allocation of 9 seats to the AFC, then they would also be conceding that: (1) such an allocation is to give AFC another chance to redeem itself; or, (2) that there are “secrets” between PNCR and AFC that could rupture the Coalition should the AFC be denied the 9 seats; or, (3) that the AFC has been absorbed into the PNCR.
Whatever the rationale, logic suggests that PNCR members would not readily accept the apparent usurping of their right to 8 seats by the AFC. It’s interesting to see how this will play out.

Sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh