Last week’s very surprising boycott  by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) of an event to honour four outstanding Guyanese

women that coincided with this month’s annual observance of International Women’s Day, could be viewed as the latest development pointing to an apparent leadership problem for that party.

We are months away from even mid-term in the life of the current 65-member parliament, but the recurring political gaffes by APNU,  which was  expediently created to replace the  Peoples National Congress/Reform (PNCR) for the November 2011 general elections, are increasingly revealing policy contradictions and leadership weaknesses that should perhaps be subjected to critical internal review.

Far from us to suggest how this could and should be done. But it’s quite important that since APNU is basically the PNCR with a new name and new leader (with the consent of Mr Robert Corbin, who chose to retire from that position), it’s in the interest  of peaceful multi-party governance that it seeks to avoid the distressing political spectacles that have been recurring in and out of the National Assembly.

While still trying to come to grips with analyses and recommendations in the official report of the independent high-level Commission of Inquiry into the Linden crisis of July last year, APNU was to further expose its political dilemmas by last week’s boycott of the International Women’s Day event organised by Parliament, much to the open disappointment of the Speaker, Mr Raphael Trotman.

The quartet of women honoured for their respective roles and commitment over many years were Government’s Chief Whip in Parliament, Ms Gail Teixeira; former PNCR parliamentarian and Deputy Speaker, Ms Clarissa Riehl; PPPC parliamentarian, Ms Indra Chandarpal; and Ms Olga Aaron, a long-serving staff member of the National Assembly.

Why such a display of immature politics when, under the supervision of the Speaker of Parliament, four Guyanese women were being honoured as part of activities and events to mark International Women’s Day?

Was APNU’s boycott a considered, democratically-taken decision, or the consequence of yet another manifestation of the political tantrums, for which the party is becoming noted?

Now APNU, whose representatives, like those of their AFC coalition partner, had fared so poorly during the public hearings of the Commission of Inquiry on the Linden crisis, is not only sulking over the findings of the Commission.

Rather, the party’s allies on the Region 10 administration, Chairman Sharma Solomon and colleague, Vanessa Kissoon, are telling us how “justice was not done,” and how wrong the Commissioners were in decisions taken.

We wonder how this apparent ongoing internal leadership problem would continue to affect the much needed structured dialogue between the Government and Opposition at this time of rapidly changing developments, regionally and internationally, that have implications for Guyana’s own national development.