-says new direction needed

FORMER sports director and youth advocate attached to the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Brian Smith, says he has no intention of renewing his membership in the party, citing that a new direction is needed to move the party forward.

During an interview he did with the News Room on Friday, Smith explained that his decision to leave the party was largely due to the lack of a youth perspective, and being burdened by the fights of older persons.

“I’ve given a service to the party, and I’ve been an advocate… since I left school, so about 15 years of my life. I think it is now time for me to move on.
“I think that after 50-something years, we don’t need to be inheriting the fights of older people. Guyana… we’re post-2000: a new era, a new time. And while I don’t discount the efforts of those who have come before, I thank them for their service; thank them for their fight, but I believe it is time for us to chart a new course, a new direction,” Smith explained.

He had earnestly believed that being a member of the party would afford him the platform to advance the interests and agenda of young people, but that vision never materialised. He attributed this to backward thinking and delayed advancement in several areas of operation.

“I think there is need for a new direction and I think young people are at that level of consciousness. You argue that we don’t know what happened before, and we give you the time to tell us what happened. Now that you have given us that historical lesson, allow us to tell you what we want for the future,” he expressed.
Smith further highlighted the importance of youth involvement, especially within the emerging oil and gas economy, and urged young people to chart their own courses and decide for themselves what they want to do.

While he remains passionate about national development, the young leader noted that he will not be creating or joining any new or existing political parties, but is ready as a professional to serve Guyana in the advancement of its development

“I have given service, I have given service at various levels. I am grateful for the opportunity to give service; I have advocated for young people; everything that they have asked me to advocate on their behalf for, and I am done, and I am comfortable with my efforts,” he shared.

The PNC/R is the largest party in the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition, which lost the March 2, 2020 general and regional elections after only five years in office.

Sitting at the helm of the APNU+AFC and leading the PNC/R is former President David Granger, whose leadership has come in for heavy criticisms from some of his own members.
Only recently, attorney-at-law Thandi McAllister resigned from the party after serving for more than 25 years; she revealed that her upset is with the current leadership of the party.