I WRITE as a member of the PNC and a National Candidate of the APNU in the 2011 Presidential Election, to support a letter published in the Stabroek News letters column on July 17, 2012. A few days after asserting that Guyana has no ‘Father of the Nation’, not even Burnham and Jagan, the prospective PNCR Leader arrived at Bachelor’s Adventure, East Coast Demerara. Mr. David Granger two Sundays ago addressed some of the Party faithful in his bid to be elected Leader of the PNC.
At that meeting Ms. Amna Ally, Mr. Corlette, Ms. Maureen Philadelphia amongst other prominent members were in attendance.
Although the meeting was officiated by Secretary of the local Party Group, only some of the members of the Group had been invited. In the course of making his speech, Mr. Granger warmly welcomed former Minister Mr. Jeffrey Thomas, apparently an old friend, who arrived during his presentation.
In fact, the former Minister had not been invited to the meeting although he is a member of the very PNC Group that called the meeting. Later Mr. Thomas observed aloud that this was not the first time that this had occurred.
The PNCR Assistant General Secretary, Ms. Amna Ali (a claim that can be debunked), delivered a scathing attack on Mr. Greenidge, and what I  may call his unknown incompetence and what was described as his unwarranted intention to lead the PNCR. She also alleged that she had received death threats apparently from one of Mr. Greenidge’s associates.
Ms. Ally suggested that as a result of incompetence the former Minister of Finance facilitated the appointment of Dr. Ashni Singh’s wife to the position of Director in the Audit Office; this I believe is incorrect, misleading and impish to say the least, thus these events and statements have the makings of a very explosive election. Incidentally, Mr. Ramotar and Dr. Luncheon, as reported in the media, seemed to be suggesting that until Mr. Greenidge and the AFC raised the matter, the PNCR representatives did not object to the situation which is an equally mischievous claim.
Ms. Ally happens to be an official of the PNCR and the PNCR Secretariat and Central Executive Committee member. Is it really appropriate for her to be on the platform of one of the candidates contesting for the Leadership of the PNCR?  Is it fair? Is it decent? Why would an official of the Party see it fit to make a public attack on one candidate in support of another in such a crude manner?
Also seated at the  head table with Mr. Granger and Ms. Ally were Mr. Winston Felix and Mr. Clement Corlette. The latter, is the Chairman of Region 4. He is also the Chairman of the Credentials Committee and a candidate for the post of Chairman of the Party; it’s callous if you may think. Even if he has not accepted the nomination what was he doing on a candidate’s platform? Why is the General Secretary allowing Party office holders such behaviour that would not be accepted by comparable GECOM officials?

After last year’s elections for the PNC presidential elections Mr. Greenidge declined to publically criticise to the press, arrangements for the elections prior to and during the count. It is widely believed however that subsequently, either he or members of his team wrote to the General Secretary and Leader of the Party concerning the activities of some Party officials in support of Mr. Granger.  He described such behaviour as unprecedented in his time as a minister and threatened not to participate in another PNCR Secretariat supervised election unless the flaws were remedied.
Mr. Granger recently announced, as Chairman of the Congress Committee, that there had been no complaints about the arrangements for the Congress including the elections. The activities and inflammatory, if not libelous comments, of Miss Ally, a Party official, cannot be intended to pass without comment from Mr. Greenidge. Most puzzling of all, why is Mr. Granger adopting this approach as part of his campaign while in his discourse laments on factionalism. If this isn’t sowing seeds of factionalism and discord then how can we blame the PPP/C of wrong doings?
Mr. Granger did not attack Mr. Greenidge directly but he spoke of division within the Party. If Mr. Granger and his supporters feel that he should automatically inherit the position why did they not seek to have the Party’s constitution changed? Why was an election announced if senior Party members such as Ms. Ally feel that Mr. Granger has a birth-right to the position of Leader and the acceptance of nomination by others is treason? As far as I have been educated, politics is about election and informed decision making that would benefit the majority of the people.
This behaviour borders on irresponsibility. The Party has already distinguished itself by holding internal elections which, however flawed, were more transparent than those of the other political Parties in Guyana; why spoil this image? Does the Party hierarchy believe that only a candidate of its own choice should be allowed to win a PNCR election?  If so they are out of control.
Categorically, I note the silence of the GS and the outgoing Leader in these circumstances and I trust that the principals would, over the next few days leading up to congress, seek to address these issues and not squander this golden opportunity to show that the PNCR embraces the principles of democracy that we long to see being practised in other political parties locally and further afield.
Finally, I trust that Mr. Granger, Ms. Ally and team does not continue to bury their heads in the sand while Lindeners’ and the nations’ people continue to languish.
Long live our ‘Founder Fathers’, ‘Long live the PNCR’. ‘Long live the people of Guyana’.