APNU+AFC trapped in illusion

THE MAIN PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION A PARTNERSHIP FOR NATIONAL UNITY
(APNU+AFC) MUST SNAP OUT OF ITS CURRENT STATE OF FANFASY to improve its
performance, one of its former legislators is counselling.
“You cannot perform as an opposition if you do not accept that you are in opposition, you will struggle to
perform as an opposition if you can’t accept the reality that you are in opposition,” Mr. Audwin
Rutherford, a former parliamentarian who represented Upper Demerara/Berbice (Region 10) a political
fortress of the APNU+AFC.
“(If) you do not understand why you are in opposition in the first place…it will be a struggle for you to
perform effectively. So, I think that is the bridge that the opposition has to cross to accept the reality… so
that maybe we can get out of opposition”.
Rutherford flunked his former coalition party for its first-year performance since losing the bitterly-
contested 2020 polls. The failing grade, he explained, must be blamed on the APNU+AFC’s continuing
illusions about its current position in the nation’s body politic.
Referencing St. Lucia’s contemporary electoral history in which there was a change of administration in
the last four elections, Rutherford said that while that is good for democracy, he doesn’t foresee that being
achieved in Guyana even in the near future because of persistent voting along racial lines by huge chunks
of the electorate.
“If you are not doing things for the people, they will vote you out, it’s that simple. These countries are not
like Guyana where about 90 percent of the people vote one way all the time”. Caribbean countries such
as St Lucia, are have a mainly homogenous population, and do not have the challenges of multi-racialism
faced by Guyana.
According to Rutherford, the five percent of the Guyanese population which votes primarily on issues
will hopefully see a change in voting pattern here sometime in the future.
“We have a growing five percent who have been voting on issues, and I think that it will grow (but) not
overnight, as I don’t look forward to the next election seeing a significant number of voters voting on
issues thus creating a big swing. However, maybe on another two to three elections we can achieve that
but I don’t see in the near future, Rutherford explained.

The former MP stressed that the key to electoral victory in Guyana is the party that can work with non-
core members. He noted that the PNC changed its name several times but only achieved success after it
truly made an effort to work with non-core members.
“I think that the party that understands how to work with non-core party members…PPPC might have
played the PPPC game one election, but PNC would have realised that they cannot do it alone so they had
called themselves R (Reform), then they called themselves R1 Guyana, then APNU. But one should note
that when they called themselves APNU+AFC that took them to victory,” Rutherford said.
Going solo to the polls is a recipe for electoral defeat, Rutherford said, explaining the ruling Peoples
Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) coalition demonstrated this in its 2020 victory.
“I think that the party that can better understand to work with others will win elections and technically,
that occurred in 2011, because, while the PPP/C won, they won with a minority. But the 2015 election
showed that a combination of things can cause victory. In 2020 it was because people understood how to
work with people,” Rutherford explained.
The PNC has to find a formula to work with everyone along the political spectrum and forge long-term
partnerships with them, Rutherford counselled.
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that the main peg PNC does not understand how to work
with other parties and you do not need a rocket scientist to tell you that. WPA and the Justice for
All Parties (JFAP) actions clearly tell you that,” the former APNU+AFC legislator said.