Avril Trotman (Center)

Avril Trotman-Joseph, wife of Speaker of the House of Representatives in Grenada, has confirmed to GRENADA TODAY that she stood as a candidate in last week's general elections in Guyana for the newly formed party known as Alliance For Change.
The party which won five seats in the poll is headed by Trotman-Joseph's brother, Raphael Trotman.

The female barrister-at-law told this newspaper that the electoral system in Guyana which is based on proportional representation is different from the westminster system of government that is based on "first past the post".

Trotman-Joseph is the wife of Lawrence Joseph, the former Attorney General and Chairman of the ruling New National Party (NNP) government of Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Mitchell. According to Trotman-Joseph, she did not stand as a candidate for the regional election but instead for the national assembly, the major decision-making body in parliament.

It is not clear whether the party would select the attorney-at-law as one of its representatives in the Guyana parliament. However, Trotman who is back in Grenada on the job with the law firm, Seon & Associates was doubtful of accepting such an offer at this stage.

She spoke of giving a commitment to the Alliance for Change to work with Guyanese living in the Caribbean diaspora that are committed to change back in their homeland. She admitted that the fact that she was contesting elections in Guyana was one of the reasons for taking the decision to quit the job of Solicitor General and to enter private practise.

Trotman-Joseph said that she had made this known to Legal Affairs Minister, Elvin Nimrod, adding that the issue of her status as a government employee was being raised by opponents in Guyana.
A post-election release issued by Trotman-Joseph on behalf of the Alliance for Change said in part:

In an historic achievement, the AFC was able to secure five seats in Parliament after being in existence as a political party for only 9 months before entering the elections race. This was the first time that a third party has made these political inroads since the country's political life began in earnest in 1964.

Despite untrue rumours that the party was funded by the United States Government, the party survived the odds of not having the kind of campaign budget of the two major parties, the PPP/C and the PNC 1G, but won the hearts of many Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora, who gave of their time, personal funds and fundraised to help finance the party's activities in Guyana.

The final tally of votes revealed that the party attracted a large number of urban voters, including multi racial and youth supporters, as well as Amerindian voters from the hinterland regions. Although, the party remains challenged to penetrate large blocs of grass root voters who apparently largely voted along racial lines for the two major parties, low voter turnout and all of its implications and to prove to all of the Guyanese people, that the party means serious business.

The AFC remains concerned that although the People's Progressive Party, Guyana's ruling party proved that it has a winning formula at election, the ruling party is unable to translate this into harnessing the development of all of the people and economy of Guyana, and particularly the black Guyanese have expressed a perception of being marginalised in their own country and Amerindians who express that they are patronised in the scheme of governance.

We the members of the AFC Chapters worldwide will continue funding the party in order to keep up its continued campaign required throughout the expansive terrain of 83,000 square miles of Guyana over the next five years.

For the Alliance of Change Leaders and supporters in the world wide chapters, the real work now begins to prove to all the people of Guyana that the movement has the development of the country's people, social fabric and economy foremost, as their reason for being.
AFC's Leaders will proudly represent its supporters in and out of Parliament, buoyed by the confidence expressed by a large number of voters who obviously wish to see meaningful change in the governance of Guyana, where instead, Government is seen as representative of all the people and races of Guyana, transparent and accountable.

The AFC Caribbean Chapter will continue its work of sharing the vision of the AFC, and mobilising Guyanese throughout the Caribbean diaspora, where it is estimated that at least 100,000 Guyanese reside. The AFC Caribbean Chapter has the objectives of encouraging Guyanese people in the diaspora to reach back to encourage their family members to develop a culture of voting to end racial voting patterns at elections and to demand responsible and competent governance by the ruling party of Guyana, and competent leaders both in the spheres of politics and civil society, so that Guyana can take its rightful role in the Caricom Single Market and Economy, the World over, and once again become the bread basket of the Caribbean and a major player in regional development.