Dear Editor,

A TOP PNC executive member, speaking under condition of anonymity, has suggested that the delay in holding the upcoming PNC/R congress is an attempt to manipulate the internal processes to favour one candidate. This is likely to cause a blowup at the upcoming congress.
“It has become apparent to some of us in the party that attempts will be made to manipulate the internal process of the election to allow a specific candidate to emerge victorious,” the member told the Guyana Daily News recently. However, they stopped short of saying who the candidate is that is likely to be favoured should the election not be transparent.

Right now there are three candidates running for the PNC/R leadership. They include David Granger; Dr Richard Van West-Charles, son-in-law of Forbes Burnham and Aubrey Norton.
Charles is of the opinion that the PNC should apologise for past wrongs. Speaking in a Stabroek News interview of 2009, he was asked whether persons in the PNC administration did wrong. Charles said he cannot identify any person specifically. “We may have done wrong–we apologise and move forward. It does not mean other operatives have not done wrong in the political realm of the country, had members who did wrong things, therefore, the organisation has to apologise for those wrongs as a principle,” he explained, “I can’t say who, with what specifics [but] if the cases are brought before me and one can see that persons have done wrong, I have no difficulty in saying ‘yes’.”

But he emphasised that such a process cannot be based on hearsay or rumour, saying it would not move the situation forward. He did not rule out incidents of victimisation, but was firm that it was not a policy of the party. “But, that does not mean that the party must be absolved from it, because if a member commits wrong, the party has to take that blame and deal with it,” he points out, adding “once there is evidence, one way or the other, we have to say–if it is perceived we did”.

The PNC executive member, who has predicted a blowup at Congress and has served the PNC for more than a decade, also commented on the candidacy of Charles. “Van-West Charles’ announcement that he wants to run for the leadership of the party is nothing to be taken seriously. It is nothing more than an attempt to split votes, which will give one of the other two candidates an advantage,” the person said. The other two candidates are Granger and Aubrey Norton.

Prior to the Coalition being voted out of office in 2020, Van-West Charles served as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI). He spent $85m on Christmas parties for his staff over a two-year period.
Charles now joins party stalwart Aubrey Norton as two executive members of the party who have indicated their interest in the top job. According to Norton, who challenged for leadership of the party and lost to Granger in 2014, there is a need for a new political culture.

“What I can say is that the era of absolute leaders, maximum leaders, that era is clearly gone and what we need is a new political culture in which leaders see themselves as first among equals and to shift and to move away from this culture of maximum leader…. who could you talk to when one man determines everything,” he said.
“I think this process of democratization should bring a new type of leader that is disposed to listening to its base and acting in keeping with the ideas that emerge from the various approaches and discussions which are taken by all the political parties within the coalition,” Norton added. Norton was expelled as PNC General- Secretary by President Desmond Hoyte. He is the third General-Secretary to have been expelled by the PNC. The first was Eusi Kwayana and the second was Hamilton Green.

The truth of the matter is neither Charles nor Norton have any core support as, say, Volda Lawrence, who is Chairman of the Georgetown PNC group and which would work in her favour should she decide to run for the leadership position. But Lawrence has not made her intentions known. She may be content to remain a chairman of the party where she should be a “shoo-in.” So far, no one else has announced their intention to challenge her in this job except Harmon. At the last PNCR congress, Lawrence easily trounced Harmon.

Additionally, Norton is not likely to get past former PNC leader Robert Corbin who has a strong dislike for him. Norton seems to be running for every office and cried foul when he lost to Lawrence in a past Georgetown election. In June 2009  “Norton, who lost the chairmanship of the Georgetown District to party co-chair, Volda Lawrence, through a vote 96 to 220, alleged that there were blatant cases of padding of the voters’ list. According to Norton, there was a turnout of less than 300 delegates to the conference, yet the tally of votes reflected that more than 300 persons voted.

According to reports, chaos reigned at Congress Place because of accusations that some persons had received several ballot papers, while others received none (Chronicle). Norton also lost to Granger in 2014 for the leadership.
This leaves Granger so far with a weak opposition, except of course Lawrence if she decides to throw her hat in the ring for the race. So far, the only negative against her is her signing of those fake election results. So far, both Granger and Harmon have come under massive criticism from party groups  criticising their leadership. James Bond, former MP, dubbed Granger’s leadership  as ‘mediocre’ while Harmon was described as ‘ineffective.’ Harmon has refused to recognise the PPP/C as the legitimate government of Guyana, even as he seeks engagement with it.

Party members have even picketed Congress Place calling for PNC leaders  not to act as dictators. As it stands, the PNC/R has too much baggage and needs to come clean. A totally clean candidate is Dominic Gaskin who is not tainted and who is honest. He is Granger’s son-in law, but he is AFC. He has no constituency within the PNC. Whether the PNC will break from its past and go for him remains to be seen.

Yours sincerely,
Sultan Mohamed