THE new People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Leader has several difficult decisions to make during the initial stages of his tenure. It is no secret that the PNC/R is a severely fractured and wounded political organisation following its loss at the 2020 elections.

Also, it is still hemorrhaging from close to 15 years of internal mismanagement, political opportunism and vindictiveness during the David Granger years of stewardship.

Today, the party is not unified and certainly not strong. In short, unity and togetherness are fragile.

Therefore, the new leader must redefine the party image, structure, and philosophy in the new modern economy and national politics. Additionally, the main governing party, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), is making the PNC/R seem like a child in Parliament and opposition by schooling it on how to govern Guyana and its people effectively even though it just finished a tour in the Executive as part of APNU+AFC Coalition Government.

The truth is, the party is split right down the middle. One half with the majority wanting change, and a step forward in terms of ideologies and policies which will impact its political image. This group wants stability in leadership till the next Congress and elections. It speaks of reforms and newer party internal mechanisms to change how the PNC/R does business.

While the other half of PNC/R wants to return to the old PNC/R known well for its history of conflict, confusion, lack of trust, intemperance, and a poor outlook on governance and transparency. This half of the group preaches discrimination, race hate, and division.

This group can absorb the new leader in struggles counter to what the PNC/R stands for as a national party. That aside, the new leader must be mindful of both power blocks within the party as he seeks to charter a clear plan of action that will hopefully seem more democratic and responsible in leadership. The overall goal of the new leader must be to have a more peaceful and rational thinking PNC/R.

Firstly, the new leader should quickly change the guards in the opposition that represents his party in Parliament. It is difficult to do, but it must be done if the PNC/R wants representation in the Coalition.

One can see the signs of there being a haphazard approach to Parliament. The MPs need stricter leadership and management if they are opposed to guidance. Their arguments on the different bills and motions leave much to be desired; and most times lack research and proper political analysis.

Let them go if they are only interested in social media fame because PNC/R has work to do on the ground.

Secondly, the new leader needs to change the PNC/R relationship with the government. Any new leader should be bold and straightforward. An admittance that the government is legitimate and that the 2020 elections were lost to the PPP is a great place to start new cordial relations in the interest of moving Guyana past the stench of the elections. If this move is made genuinely, the President would extend an olive branch signalling a restart of the dialogue with the new leader and a return to the bi-partisan approach to handling matters of national importance.

A move like this will shift the political climate, restore good faith, and build trust among the government and opposition.

Thirdly, the new leader should distance his party from the people that are sucking the life out of it. I refer, for example, to those following that supposed hostile, ill-tempered, and deranged man in the US. They will cost the PNC/R its votes but will not get a single ballot for the party because of their irrelevance.

Another way of building back the party is to get more young people in the circle that makes critical policy decisions. Also, develop a new way of calling home affected and disgruntled supporters who will only come back to PNC if they can be assured of change in politics and policy internally.

Finally, the new leader must confront the challenges in the political environment not from a historical or racial paradigm but a looking glass of facts, truth and reality. He must adopt a practical approach to leading the PNC/R into the next election and demonstrate the willingness to listen and act responsibly at all times. He must put his best judgment of the politics first. The PNC/R as a party must signal its readiness to shake off all the baggage of rigged elections and proclaim a closure to that chapter in its political life.