News Room Reports | Opposition Parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul asserts that the Alliance for Change and National Unity (APNU) will not succumb to pressure from the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party during negotiations about the opposition’s functioning in the 13th Parliament. In a candid interview with News Room’s Kurt Campbell, Mahipaul expressed that APNU’s response to the negotiations was to outperform WIN, stating, “they did just that.”
Following the election results, Mahipaul moved to establish a working arrangement among the three parties: WIN with 16 seats, APNU with 12, and Amanza Walton-Desir with one. He proposed a proportional representation method for distributing the 20 ministries, suggesting that WIN would receive 11, APNU eight, and Walton-Desir one.
However, Mahipaul claims that WIN attempted to assert dominance by proposing 13 shadow ministries while offering APNU only six and seeking to dictate which six ministries APNU would receive. “I was not prepared to entertain that kind of bullyism,” he stated.
Even after offering a compromise that included four ministries of APNU’s choice and allowing WIN to assign the remaining four, the negotiations yielded no shift in WIN’s approach. “They were hell-bent on throwing to us whatever they wanted to throw,” he added, which led APNU to walk away from talks. “We said fine. You’re the main opposition? Shadow everything.”
Mahipaul rejected the notion that APNU’s reduced numbers have made it weaker. He claimed that ego clashes and fragmentation within the larger APNU/AFC coalition previously weakened it. In contrast, the current 12-member APNU bench is disciplined and ready to perform effectively.
During recent budget debates, Mahipaul praised his fellow APNU MPs, including first-timers, for their commendable contributions. “We’re going to capture the Speaker’s eye. We’re going to ask our questions. And we’re going to outshine our opponents,” he asserted.
He also dismissed the argument that WIN’s lack of experience accounts for its inconsistent performance, emphasizing that APNU has new MPs as well who’ve benefited from guidance from seasoned members. “It’s not like they don’t know how this place works,” he remarked, pointing out moments when he expected WIN to address certain issues during budget scrutiny but didn’t.
Despite the friction, Mahipaul reiterated the need for a united opposition front against the government’s 36-seat majority. “We need to be a better 29 fighting a giant 36,” he said. However, he stressed that unity must be founded on fairness and proportional representation, which he believes is essential to the opposition’s structure.
As for the evolving political landscape within the opposition, Mahipaul indicated that APNU will not passively accept a subordinate role. “We will represent,” he concluded. “Exactly how we have to.”
