By Dr. Vishnu Bisram  
THE PNCR internal election this Saturday takes centre stage in the country’s political landscape. As I gather from my interactions with Guyanese in the diaspora and in Guyana, they are very interested the upcoming PNC internal elections to choose a leader, chair, and other executive positions.

The most common questions the public ask: “Will it be free and fair? Will it be it be based on issues? Will issues determine who is chosen as leader? Who is more likely to prevail for leader? Which slate of candidates will win?” Many in the public feel that the election results have already been determined. Some PNC supporters say they have no confidence in the election machinery to be free, fair, and transparent. They say that the election will be a replay of previous PNC internal elections.

On transparency, everyone with whom I interacted with in Guyana and in the diaspora has agreed that previous general and regional elections have been rigged by the PNC and is wondering if this history of rigging will cloud their internal election. Still fresh in people’s minds, was the unsuccessful attempt to stage an electoral heist of the 2020 regional and general elections. Already, there have been allegations that past internal PNR elections were not free and fair. The party base lacks confidence in their won leaders and elections process; that message is not a good one.

And the view of almost everyone is that the winner may not necessarily be chosen transparently but through “creative” means as happened in the past. Yet many remain hopeful for a democratic outcome.  The hope is that the party will come out of the election unscathed.

Everyone says this PNC internal election provides a great historic opportunity for the PNC to come clean in supporting transparent and credible elections. Will the PNC cleanse its image to win the confidence of the public?

It has been pointed out that unlike in general elections when elements in PNC were accused of invoking or injecting race in the campaign, their (PNC) internal elections seem more focused on ‘issues’. None of the candidates for top executive office has appealed to ‘race’ although they insist that they are ‘non-racial’ and also have Indian supporters in addition to working with Indians in the past.

Almost every Guyanese say that race must never be a factor in our elections, politics, and governance. Instead, they feel that issues and proposed policies must drive future campaigns and policymaking, and that race should be relegated to the periphery of the political radar. A command of the issues together with a coherent vision should be the determining factor in choosing leadership in any party’s internal election as well as at national elections to choose a President and a governing party.

Which one of the four candidates for leader has a better understanding and command of national issues confronting the nation, should theoretically prevail. One caveat: this is likely to happen only if party delegates also grasp the bigger picture of diversity and national and regional issues.

One candidate claims that he is not racist, saying he previously served as campaign manager of an Indian candidate, Winston Murray, for PNC party leader over a decade ago. That in itself is not a convincing claim that one is not race-biased. Even a fellow PNC member suggested that this candidate might not be able to attract non-African voters and support. Another candidate claims he has a working relationship with Indian businesses, but he never condemned the violence against Indians at Cotton Tree, West Berbice in October 2020.

The general feeling among those interviewed is that Joe Harmon is favoured by the PNC established figures. It is felt that that former President, David Granger, is supporting Harmon. Current Chair Volda Lawrence, it is felt by everyone I conversed with, is supporting Aubrey Norton. The other candidates don’t attract much support for leadership.

Those I conversed with generally believe that in the past whoever was anointed by the outgoing party leader that person will prevail as the new leader. Will it be any different this time around? In the past, the person overseeing the internal election played a very important role in choosing the winner. Mr. Vincent Alexander is only this week appointed chair of the election committee.

He was a PNC-appointed Commissioner of GECOM in the March 2020 elections when an effort was made to rig the outcome. People are asking whether Alexander at this late hour can deliver free and fair elections.

The general feeling among people I conversed with is whoever is chosen as leader on Saturday must be equipped with an acceptable vision for the party, be able to unite the party, lead an effective parliamentary opposition, reject racism as a political tool, dissociate and condemn violence and threats against political opponents, give pre-eminence to issues, insist on the application of transparency and accountability, and serve as a credible opposition, as well as the government in waiting.