[dropcap]M[/dropcap]aking regional as well as international headlines over the last weekend was the successful vote of no confidence against Guyana’s coalition government that comprised A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance for Change (AFC). The motion was brought by the main opposition, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which won 32 of the 65 seats in the 2015 general election. With the passing of the motion, the people of Guyana must now head to the polls no later than March 2019. Elections were constitutionally due by August 2020, until the no-confidence motion that resulted in a 33-32 count, thanks to government MP Charrandas Persaud’s voting with the opposition. Reportedly, Persaud has since fled Guyana for his own safety.
Immediately following the vote count in Parliament he was ambushed by reporters. He told them he was “extremely disappointed in the AFC team and had no confidence in what they were doing”. Additionally: “We are sitting in parliament as yes-men to the APNU. We’ve not blended with the APNU. Why are we doing everything they want us to do? We are not opposing anything, we’re not even saying no to anything. That’s the problem. I can’t stand that. There are times when you have to vote according to your conscience and not because of party affiliation. This is a conscience vote.” Meanwhile on Monday in neighbouring Saint Kitts & Nevis, the opposition Saint Kitts and Nevis Labour Party’s no-confidence motion was debated but failed to pass. Here in Saint Lucia, the word is that a no-confidence motion filed with the House clerk by opposition leader Philip J. Pierre at the last sitting of parliament will likely be heard in early January.
