Hurting its own

THIS is a historical reality of the PNC, because it was its own supporters — right alongside other Guyanese of various political affiliations — who suffered under the PNC dictatorial regime; and the successive budget cuts, non-support of developmental programmes, as well as congresses that invariably decimate the core leadership of that party, are indicators that the PNC leadership has no inclination to change its direction and put the nation first before egos and personal ambition.

Since the People’s National Congress (PNC) was given birth by the late Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, that political party has been from the inception, and remains, a vibrant force in local social and political dynamics; and the leadership – initially with Burnham at the helm, then Hoyte — has remained committed and steadfast to the core values of the party.

Enter Corbin, and with him the slow disintegration of the second strongest political force in Guyana. Leadership challenges began, and membership was being lost at an alarming rate; but worse was the infighting, as more and more of the executive members began feeling alienated from a political party to which they had given absolute loyalty from their youth.

So Burnham loyalists became determined to return the PNC to its glory days by removing Corbin, whom they solely blamed for the disintegration of the PNC, and replace him with someone in whom they placed their faith to restore the strength of their party.
But bit by bit the core leadership was eliminated out of the equation, with challengers to leadership claiming rigging in the internal electoral processes. Corbin remained as supreme leader while the swathe of vengeance scythed away aspiring leaders like Vincent Alexander, Aubrey Norton, Raphael Trotman, Dr. Faith Harding et al. Those who supported opposing candidates were vengefully weeded out of the executive, and gradually the strength and vibrancy of the PNC became diluted, because those remaining became apathetic and directionless.

Then Corbin realised that if he remained he would become leader of a defunct political party. His future personal wellbeing was secure in any case, because the PPP/C Government has provided the Leader of the Opposition with wages, benefits and a retirement package almost in line with that of the President; so neither Corbin, Granger, nor any Opposition leader would ever go in want of any imaginable luxury, very much unlike the way they treated Dr. Cheddi Jagan while he was de facto Opposition leader by virtue of stolen elections.

These were the factors that propelled Corbin’s search for his successor; but instead of choosing someone who had the absolute loyalty of party members, he went out of the box and chose someone who was an absolute political novice, which further alienated hardcore PNCites.

David Granger’s emergence as a power within PNC leadership heralded many changes, but the most shocking change was the re-structuring of the Burnham-founded PNC, eliminating executive members who had served the party with loyalty and distinction from their youth and injecting non-affiliates in a new avatar he renamed A Partner for National Unity (APNU); which key members saw as a betrayal, because none of the new affiliate parties, heads of which automatically became executive leaders of the new political conglomeration, had any membership to speak of, and all had been almost defunct, so it was an anomalous partnership.

As a consequence, disillusioned PNC membership melted away in droves. Thus it was that when former PNC leadership contender Raphael Trotman co-founded the Alliance For Change (AFC), many former PNC members voted solidly for that fledgling political party.
The angst of party loyalists, who see newcomers who had never contributed anything to their party — like Jaipaul Sharma, Rupert Roopnaraine and others — enjoying the power, prominence and benefits that come with their appointment as parliamentarians, sidelining major players like Dr Faith Harding, Aubrey Norton, Volda Lawrence, Mervyn Williams, et al, has added to the internal corrosion of the second oldest, once powerful political party in Guyana.

The ineffective leadership, which only grandstands with sanctimonious speeches, cutting successive budgets and stymieing the development of their own support bases; and now their unyielding position of non-support of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill – with all the implications for Guyana and all Guyanese, which has made the APNU a mocking stock in Guyana and the world, is another factor that seems to spell doom to the once powerful brainchild of Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham who, despite everything, was one of the most brilliant leaders Guyana has ever produced.

Granger has, without doubt, presided over the demise of the People’s National Congress, and its non-support of the AML/CFT Bill along with his ineffective leadership is its death knell.

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