The Alliance For Change (AFC) today said it was left shocked and betrayed by the vote of Mr. Charrandas Persaud in the National Assembly Friday night which collapsed the government and triggered new elections in 90 days.
“The party regrets the dissenting vote of Mr. Persaud and wishes to assure all Guyanese that at no time did the party have any indication whatsoever, either from Mr. Persaud or otherwise, that he would vote in any way other than firmly against the motion,” the AFC stated Saturday.
The party said it had expelled Persaud at a meeting held today and was
The Parliamentarian is reported to have fled the country early Saturday morning, fearing for his life.
The AFC partnered with the APU coalition of parties to contest and win the 2015 national elections.
The No Confidence motion was taken to the National Assembly by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and his People’s Progressive Party (PPP).
The PPP has 32 seats in the House; the government, with Persaud, has 33. When the vote was called, the government was stunned when Persaud defected and voted in favour of the motion.
“The party can state, categorically, that at no time did Mr. Persaud express that he had lost confidence in the APNU+AFC Coalition Government, its policies, programmes and vision. To the contrary, he gave his solemn commitment, on more than one occasion, that he will vote resoundingly against the motion,” the AFC stated.
It said only recently Persaud made a spirited, positive contribution to the 2019 budget debate in which he also denounced the opposition.
The AFC acknowledged that Persaud’s vote of No Confidence in the government was an “unforeseen development would have come as a shock to many Guyanese in Guyana and the Diaspora and that persons would be distraught and hurt by it.”
The AFC assured that it “remains unwaveringly committed to the APNU+AFC Coalition Government.”
