AFC relishes ‘third-force’ status

THE ALLIANCE FOR CHANGE (AFC) RELISHES ITS ‘THIRD FORCE’ STATUS in
Guyana’s historically divisive and race-based politics. This is the firm view of rookie legislator
in the country’s 65-seat unicameral parliament, Mr. Deonarine ‘Ricky’ Ramsaroop.
When it was launched in 2005, AFC was able to exploit endemic political dissatisfaction in the
multi-racial Republic winning 8.1 percent of the votes and securing 6 parliamentary seats in the
2006 polls. In 2011, its percentage of the votes climbed to 10.3 percent winning 7 parliamentary
seats.
It teamed up with the main opposition Peoples National Congress (PNC) and a slew of other
parties to form the coalition A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance For Change
(APNU+AFC) which won 33 seats and the Presidency in the 2015 polls with ousted the Peoples
Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) coalition after 23 years of unbroken rule.
Emboldened by its successes since its launch a decade earlier, AFC flexed its political muscles
and contested the 2018 Local Government Elections as an independent party, and was
decimated. Its humiliating performance signaled, to local political commentators, that the AFC
has lost its national influence and could no longer be considered a serious viable ‘third force’ in
local politics.
Then in 2020, the ruling coalition lost a bitter, controversial and highly-heated polls, with an
AFC parliamentarian, Mr. Charrandass Persaud, voted with the opposition PPP/C in the No
Confidence Motion, toppling the APNU+AFC government.
AFC, in the minds of many Guyanese, was dying slowly. After its 2020 defeat some prominent
members left the party seemingly supporting the view that the party was in national decline and
shedding influence.

Not so, argues Ramsaroop.
“Once you lose powder you have a tendency of people going, you have a tendency of people
losing interest and you also have people who are coming on board,” he told
www.aroundtheregions.com
“Our core principle is to fight the giants always, this thing is because we have fresh faces in
parliament,” Ramsaroop emphasised.
The AFC parliamentarian defended the party’s decision to join forces with the PNC to contest
the 2015 polls as the APNU+AFC, a decision which went against the party’s instincts.
“If we had not (join forces as the APNU+AFC) we would have never removed the PPP from
office, so the decision to (unite) was a good one. People have to understand sometimes the bigger
picture of things…we would have never had ministers of Government for the AFC if we hadn’t
(formed a coalition), probably we would have had a minority government in 2020 you never
know. but the decision…was important and a correct one” Ramsaroop maintains.
When it made up its mind to be part of the coalition team, Ramsaroop said the country was at a
“breaking point considering the enormous evidence of what was taking place, and as such, it was
removing the PPP at all cost.”
Interest in the party among Guyana’s youths is still significant according to Ramsaroop who
disclosed a high number of electronic recruitments.
“We have set out an online application process for members and within two weeks we got sixty
members. Many of these were coming from Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica in which the
capital city, Georgetown is located) and this was on social media and it was shared among a few
members. I got many East Indians who contacted me wanting to be members and you know that
East Indians are more discreet in these things and it’s a good sign as people come and people will
go,” he said.

“I never wanted to be an MP, I never asked to be an MP but the party thought that I was doing a
lot and they opted to put me as MP. Even at the last minute I had refused but my name was still
published in the papers,” he said.
Ramsaroop noted that their role will not be similar to what the public saw of the Working
Peoples Alliance (WPA) but rather will see an energised and active third force making inroads
and holding the larger parties accountable to the electorate.
“To be frank…when the AFC was formed it was really to hold the balance of power. The
objectives as we know are that they were not going to win power to be in government, but it was
going to create a good balance of power like a third force. I think we still are and will create that
balance of power. That objective is amazing because it achieved that,” Ramsaroop said.