The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) remains unfazed by recent political defections, announcing that it has successfully recruited 397 new members following a nationwide outreach campaign.
Speaking at the party’s press conference earlier today, APNU Member of Parliament Ganesh Mahipaul addressed the departure of seven former affiliates, framing political defection as a historical norm rather than a crisis for the coalition. Instead, Mahipaul shifted the focus to the party’s growth, revealing that 397 individuals have recently signaled their intent to join the APNU.
According to Mahipaul, the influx of new members is the direct result of extensive ground campaigns conducted across Guyana, including regions traditionally seen as politically challenging. “We have, I think it is 397… new members that came into the APNU,” Mahipaul stated, noting that the figure was reviewed during a recent party meeting. “This happened after our extended outreaches, our extended engagement, ourselves being on the ground.”
The MP highlighted several targeted deployments, including an opposition team led by Sherod Duncan that visited Mahdia and Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), alongside other delegations dispatched to Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Mabaruma (Region One), and Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).
Mahipaul acknowledged that expanding membership in the current political climate requires overcoming fear. “We’re doing, what I will say, quite well, given the political climate of Guyana and knowing that people can fear victimization from the People’s Progressive Party for mere association with opposition parties,” he asserted.
Addressing the recent exit of seven individuals to the ruling PPP, Mahipaul urged the public and the media to view the event through a historical lens, arguing that the internet and social media have amplified a routine political phenomenon.
“Let me start off by saying that no political party, whether it’s here in Guyana or around the world, wants to have defections,” Mahipaul admitted candidly. “But we are dealing with human beings… Defection has happened before.”
The MP provided a brief history lesson, citing the foundational 1955 split between Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, as well as cross-over periods in 1964, 1992, 2015, and 2020.
“Defection is nothing new in the political arena. It is not new to Guyana… What has sadly happened is the internet is so present in our lives now that it seems as though this is a brand new phenomenon, but I can tell you it is not… My memory is recalling…and I was a part of that process so I can speak comfortably about that one. I remember vividly Robert Persaud expressed an interest in being a part of the APNU AFC in 2015.”
The APNU MP emphasized that the departures have zero impact on the opposition’s strategic operations, noting that none of the seven defectors belonged to the party’s core decision-making inner circle.
“None of the defects there were really tried and tested APNU members. So they are not exposed to any of our internal decisions. They are not exposed to how we’re moving forward, our strategy, and those kinds of things,” Mahipaul explained.
When pressed on how individuals who previously stood on APNU platforms and “spoke so glowingly well” about the coalition could pivot to the government so quickly, Mahipaul suggested the public look closely at personal motivations rather than structural failures within the APNU. “Is the problem really with APNU, or is it with the people who once embraced, supported, endorsed… and a mere couple of months after, find a reason to change their position, defy their principles, and merely go to the political party that is in power?” Mahipaul questioned. “Could it be… that survival is what it’s been? Is it because you just want a contract? I don’t know. They have to answer that question.”
Despite the political noise, Mahipaul maintained that the APNU’s machinery is focused on institutional modernization and long-term relevance.
“If I’m to tell you that the party is not affected, then I’ll be wrong… But in terms of hampering our work, no, it is not hampering our work,” he concluded. “Our membership is very strong. And as I said, seven defects is not what we desire, but it’s not something that is affecting us.”
Several opposition figures have crossed the floor to join Guyana’s governing PPP/C. On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, former APNU MPs Ricky Ramsaroop, Shurwayne Holder, and Dinesh Jaiprashad, along with current Regional Councillors Ravoldo Birbal, Sheik Yaseen, Prince Holder, and Gangadai Lloyd, met with PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo to formalize the move. According to a PPP press release, the meeting was initiated by the opposition members. This political realignment comes 8 months after members of the group strongly criticized the PPP/C administration on the 2025 campaign trail.
