Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo said today that the collapse of “coalition talks” between the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) was inevitable, given their deep-rooted obsession with dividing political spoils.
Jagdeo was responding to the AFC’s announcement earlier today that it intends to contest the 2025 General and Regional Elections independently. The party announced that after weeks of negotiations, it was unable to reach a “mutually beneficial” agreement with APNU.
Jagdeo, at his own press conference claimed that the failure of the talks was predictable. According to him, the opposition parties were never focused on a plan for the country but rather, on dividing government positions and privileges.
“The only order of business in the coalition talk was about who gets what if they win the government,” Jagdeo said, adding, “How many seats one party will get in the Parliament, how many government jobs they will get, how many ministerial jobs, which portfolio. It’s all about sharing spoils.”
He outlined that while the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is focused on governance and delivering for the people, the opposition is driven by self-interest and political gain.
“Their talks were bound to fail because they were too focused on who gets what,” he added.
To this end, he claimed that a “selfish and corrupt” political culture is within the opposition coalition.
Moreover, Jagdeo argued that APNU and AFC’s inability to present a consensus candidate was symptomatic of a broader failure to unite around a shared vision for the country. Instead, he said, their political strategy revolves around aesthetics and superficial appeal, rather than merit and plans for national development.
“You run, regardless of the form you put together or the candidate who leads your campaign, you have to contend with two things when you face the electorate, one, your track record and two, your plans for the future,” he said.
Jagdeo added, “And they have a dismal track record.”
