By: Marvin Cato | HGP Nightly News|
Two key coalition partners — the Forward Guyana Movement and The People’s Movement — have officially severed ties with the Vigilant Political Action Committee (V-PAC), citing what they describe as “unbecoming public conduct” by the group’s leadership.
The fallout comes after a series of heated public exchanges and what coalition leaders have termed “irreconcilable differences” over the direction of the alliance ahead of the next electoral cycle.
“The People’s Movement shall have no political or other interaction with V-PAC because the conduct is unbecoming,” declared the party’s leader, expressing deep dissatisfaction over the group’s recent behavior.
He explained that his party’s executive reached a unanimous decision to withdraw from ongoing coalition negotiations, citing VPAC’s repeated public outbursts and what he called “a lack of political maturity.”
“Our executive made it abundantly clear that after witnessing the conduct, they were not comfortable moving forward with negotiations for the new coalition,” he stated.
Similarly, Forward Guyana Movement Leader and Parliamentary Representative Amna Ally Walton-Desir confirmed that her party has taken an identical stance.
“The agreement ended, and we will not be renewing it,” Walton-Desir said, emphasizing that mediation attempts to restore trust were unsuccessful.
According to coalition sources, the final straw came after V-PAC allegedly issued an ultimatum during mediation sessions — demanding that the coalition’s single parliamentary seat be rotated equally among all three party representatives, and that Walton-Desir step down as leader of the list.
V-PAC’s leader, being a U.S. citizen, is ineligible to hold the parliamentary seat. As such, the party reportedly proposed its General Secretary, Francis Bailey, for the position — a move strongly opposed by both coalition partners.
“I have a problem with leadership that doesn’t understand temperance. If every disagreement leads to public exposure, that’s not leadership,” said one coalition leader in frustration.
It is important to note that the coalition’s initial agreement expired on September 2, and discussions were expected to begin shortly after regarding renewal and a new framework for cooperation.
However, following this latest rift, both the Forward Guyana Movement and People’s Movement have made it clear: V-PAC is no longer welcome at the table.
