In a significant political development within Guyana’s Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) governance structure, the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has excluded its coalition partner We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) from representation on crucial council committees. Local Government and Regional Development Minister Priya Manickchand disclosed this exclusion during Thursday’s parliamentary session while addressing budgetary estimates.
The revelation emerged when WIN councillor Tabita Sarabo-Halley questioned why only APNU and People’s Progressive Party Civic representatives were appointed to sectoral committees. Minister Manickchand clarified that APNU’s Chief Whip failed to submit any WIN nominations when invited to propose committee members. ‘I’m advised that in this particular instance, no names were submitted from your collection. The APNU Chief Whip failed to submit any names from WIN when they were asked to submit names,’ she stated.
The minister speculated that APNU might have determined WIN lacked sufficient capacity or expertise, though she emphasized that the two parties must resolve the matter internally. This exclusion marks a notable fracture in the opposition alliance, particularly significant since APNU unexpectedly lost its historical control of Region Four in last September’s elections, securing only nine seats compared to PPPC’s seventeen and WIN’s eight seats.
APNU parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul attempted to secure a commitment for parliamentary-style proportionality in committee formations but was unsuccessful. Minister Manickchand maintained that appointments must follow legal guidelines rather than political proportionality models, noting that committee members are conventionally selected based on expertise and ability to serve regional interests, with the exception of procurement committees which fall under the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board’s jurisdiction.