GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton has accused the Alliance For Change (AFC) of attempting to recruit several members of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), while condemning the AFC’s expulsion of three defectors as “petty” and hypocritical.
Speaking at a press conference at Congress Place on Friday, Norton claimed the AFC approached at least ten APNU members to jump ship. “The AFC has gone at least to ten of our members and asked them to work with them,” he said. “Most of them didn’t, but at least one on the East Coast did — and we didn’t expel them. They’re still in our membership. But pettiness is part of life.”
Norton was responding to the AFC’s recent move to revoke the membership of three of its former parliamentarians — Juretha Fernandes, Sherod Duncan, and Deonarine “Ricky” Ramsaroop — who have since declared their support for APNU. Fernandes has also emerged as a leading figure in Norton’s campaign, widely expected to be named as his running mate in the September 1 General and Regional Elections.
The AFC, blindsided by the defections, moved quickly this week to manage the fallout, confirming that it was unaware of the MPs’ intentions and had rescinded their membership in response.
Norton criticized the reaction as shortsighted, pointing to what he sees as a double standard. “We didn’t proceed to expel anybody when the AFC tried to recruit from our side,” he said. “It shows the difference in how we handle things.”
The fallout has exposed deeper tensions between the two former coalition partners, who failed to reach a new agreement earlier this year. Talks collapsed after the AFC’s proposal for 35 percent of the coalition was rejected by APNU. Since then, the parties have grown increasingly distant.
Despite criticism that the APNU is now embracing individuals who only recently represented the AFC in Parliament, Norton defended the decision. “We see the coming of Juretha, Ricky, and Sherod as a case of people who are interested in coalition and coming to join us to ensure that the coalition reflects the APNU+AFC,” he said.
He also sought to clarify the timeline around Fernandes’ appointment as prime ministerial candidate. “We had already settled on Juretha long before the AFC made its last proposal,” Norton explained. “If Juretha wants to give the opportunity to the AFC to select the candidate, we have no problem with that. But we will not renege on our commitment to her because of a late request, especially after months of difficult negotiations.”
Norton further dismissed any internal disagreement over the selection, noting that all APNU members were part of the decision. Although central executive member Ganesh Mahipaul previously suggested he was a suitable candidate for the role, Norton said Mahipaul is being considered for a vice-presidential position instead.
“I spoke with all the persons in the APNU… we generally agreed that we needed Juretha Fernandes as the prime ministerial candidate,” Norton said.
As the AFC reels from losing three senior figures and the coalition landscape shifts, APNU is pushing ahead with its campaign, while questions remain about the AFC’s political footing heading into the September elections.
