Another AFC supporter joins Badal’s party

A businessman who supported the Alliance For Change (AFC) in the past has joined the Change Guyana political party.

Sase Shewnarain, the owner of Aracari Resort and Roraima Trust & Investment Inc. on Tuesday attended Change Guyana’s weekly press conference at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown where he endorsed the new political party which is also led by a former AFC Supporter, Robert Badal.

“At this point right now, I feel it is incumbent upon me, a duty to endorse the Change Guyana party as a right choice, right now for Guyanese,” the businessman said.

Shewarain was born in Guyana and migrated to Canada for many years before returning in 1995 when he opened Roraima Trust and Investment Inc. and later the Aracari resort.

Although he has never been a member of another political party, he supported the AFC in 2015.

Speaking with the News Room at the sidelines of the press conference, Shewnarain said even after the AFC coalesced with the APNU (A Partnership for National Unity) he still believed that the party would stand on their principles.

“They went and [coalesce] on the basis that they will stand on their principles, they will see to it that their agenda is still going to be implemented. They fail to do that. They were subsumed, in my perspective, I have not seen any independence among them in terms of keeping to their agenda,” he told the News Room.

Shewnarain believes the AFC has abandoned its principles and such, cannot effect change from this point forward.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Candidate of Change Guyana, Robert Badal on Tuesday also spoke about the AFC, a party which he previously supported, noting that “the Alliance For Change wasn’t really a change because they got subsumed within the coalition and forgot all of their policies, their manifestos, their agendas, their independence, everything so was not a real effort for change.”

The AFC was on Friday last asked about its supporters and members who have left the party over the last four to five years. Deputy General Secretary of the Party, Lenno Craig told reporters that this is normal in politics but the party will not falter due to this.

He admitted that the party “mourns” the loss of supporters, financiers and members but Craig said, “it is one of those things that happen in politics, every party has suffered that and we have contingency plans in place, the AFC will not stumble and fall because of that.”

Given the number of persons who walked away from the AFC over the past years including former Parliamentarian Charrandass Persaud, some persons have argued that the party has lost its bargaining power with its coalition partner.

Meanwhile, a young businesswoman also endorsed Change Guyana on Tuesday. Tonaina Samaroo who is into the mining business is now venturing into politics but she believes aligning with this new party, she can contribute more to Guyana.