AFC identifies team for APNU talks; wants new accord

Leader of the Alliance For Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman, Thursday dispatched a letter to its partner, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) requesting a meeting in four days.

Trotman, in his letter, proposed the drafting of a new accord to deal specifically with a shared governance structure for Local Government Elections (LGE), a statement from the AFC said.

Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, Parliamentarian Michael Carrington, General Secretary Marlon Williams and Member Dr Vincent Adams have been identified by the Party to represent them in the talks.

Trotman’s letter was in response to APNU’s Leader, President David Granger’s letter of April 30, 2018.

The President had finally responded, on the eve of the AFC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), to a letter Trotman had sent some two months back requesting a meeting concerning contesting the upcoming elections together.

According to the Party’s statement, “The AFC NEC stipulated that the party will allow additional time for the two parties to have a definitive written agreement in the form of a Local Government Elections Accord.”

Trotman’s letter even made suggestions for negotiation of the possible ‘LGE Accord’.

The NEC also took a decision for all party groups to fully activate their campaign preparation protocols and this will commence in earnest, the statement added.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon Thursday said he believes the issues between the AFC and APNU are “minor” and that the problems will not affect the coalition’s “continuity”.

Trotman had previously informed media operatives that a large faction of the Party has been urging that the AFC go solo at the polls in order to maintain its independence.

However, at its first NEC, the AFC decided to team up again with APNU and Trotman then wrote Granger.

The AFC letter outlined a number of matters, including the issue of the approach to elections.

Following the polls in 2016, the AFC was concerned that it was not granted enough representation at the local government level.