Rickford Burke wants the AFC to be in an alliance with the PNC, preferably a PNC which is not under the stewardship of Corbin. What he wants, however, is not what the majority in the AFC’s National Executive wants.
And so the fact that through a democratic process, very unfamiliar to parties such as the PNC and PPP, the National Executive of the AFC by a substantial majority decided last Saturday 24th July that such an electoral alliance with the PNC nor the PPP will not happen, has infuriated him into some very harsh criticism of the AFC. This is what he says: “.. the AFC’s flippant, pre-emptive preclusion of dialogue with either of the two main political parties that together represents 85% of the electorate betrays an institution with an oxymoronic enigmatic philosophy….” Later he concluded that if the AFC does not have an open door policy with the PPP and PNC it will “metamorphose into another intractable political dinosaur”.
By Rickford’s own words, he describes the PPP and PNC as dinosaurs. Yet he wants the AFC to ally for purposes of an electoral alliance for 2011 with dinosaurs!
The AFC made it quite clear that there are issues of incompatibility with these two political organizations which, since Independence in 1966, have one after the other destroyed this country. Why then join up with one? Why not educate the voters to move away from both into something new? Why make this obviously ill-conceived, self-contradictory and inherently inconsistent argument that by not joining up with the PNC, “the AFC will squander the trust and hope it has built up over the past five years, and guarantee the PPP another victory?”
Although he is a Burke, Rickford cannot see the sense, coherence and consistency of the AFC’s decision of last Saturday simply because he is not an Edmond Burke. But he conveniently quotes that far greater Burke – whose timeless prophecy he seeks to counsel the AFC with: “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”
Rickford, it was substantially an application of that wisdom which realised the decision last Saturday in our National Executive Committee meeting not to form electoral alliances with PPP and PNC. Though it may not have been expressed in such explicit terms, members did have in mind a lot of the recent history of the PPP when deliberating such a decision. The PPP’s assault on the AFC since coming into existence, its corruption, its absolute control of all State institutions, its bad governance, it discriminatory political and racial practices and so much more that Rickford is so good at articulating, were the considerations taken into account.
But so, too, in a very balanced manner, members had in mind a lot of the history of the PNC, past and recent. Again, though not expressed in explicit terms, members took into considerations that it was the PNC which after forming an alliance in 1964 with the then third party, the United Force, dumped that third party in 1968 and disallowed free and fair elections right up until 1992.
It was the PNC who were the designers and drafters of that Constitution in 1980 which created an all powerful Presidency, which has backfired and haunts that party up till today. And of more recent vintage, who denied the AFC scrutineers’ monies valued in excess of $21m (twenty one million dollars)? Who teamed up with the PPP to pass Recall legislation to negate the independence of the Parliamentarian, and so much more?
The AFC paid great heed to that titanic philosopher’s advice and which you so counsel us with in yesterday’s critique, Rickford. Though you be a Burke, your critique runs the course more akin to another “philosopher” whose name is Machiavelli.
Finally, Rickford, you should have some respect for the internal democracy of the AFC and its salutary process in realizing this decision you so dislike. The AFC is not a party of maximalist leaders. It has strong independent minds in its National Executive Committee who will never cower in criticising the views of its leaders. We are all equals there!
Remember if we cannot talk and walk the democracy within our various political parties, we surely will not be able to talk and walk the democracy within our national politics.
SIXTUS EDWARDS
General Secretary
Alliance For Change
27th July 2010
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