No name, symbol yet for new coalition; to be revealed on March 4

By Jomo Paul

[www.inewsguyana.com] – The week-old coalition of the Alliance For Change and A Partnership for National Unity has not yet decided on what will be the name of the coalition or its symbol as the May 11 date for general and regional election draw closer.

Co-Chairs of the coalition campaign for elections, APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon and AFC’s Raphael Trotman made the disclosure on Friday February 20 while promising that both parties will feature prominently in whatever decision is made in this regard.

Trotman, speaking at a joint press conference, said that the coalition has been receiving suggestions from persons both external and internal. He said this would be placed into a pool and a decision will be made by a group which has been delegated with that task but he noted that from all indications, Guyana’s youth populace is “comfortable” with the name as it is presently.

The coalition has arrived at a “tentative” logo which features both the palm of the APNU and the key from the AFC. However, the Peoples Representations Act stipulates that there should only be one logo for a Party.

Trotman explained however that this will be worked out and the new logo may be presented on March 4 when the APNU/AFC coalition officially launches its elections campaign.

“All they ask is that the two parties get together so that they don’t have to choose one or the other…the name will not make a difference; they resolved since 2011 for change,” said Trotman who is currently the Speaker of the National Assembly

He noted that coalitions around the world have a major difficulty with maintaining individual identities adding “we are not going to play around our identities.”

Meanwhile, Harmon, who is also Co-Chair of the elections campaign for the coalition, told reporters that the Cummingsburg Accord requires both parties to maintain their individual identities

The first rally of the coalition is set for early March.