OPPOSITION Leader Aubrey Norton is like the Japanese soldier who hid for 29 years in a cave in the jungle of a Philippines island, not knowing that World War II was over.
When he was finally reached and told the war had long ago ended, he wept uncontrollably. Norton is similarly a soldier without a cause and is existing beyond his assignment.

The Opposition Leader on a couple of occasions recently has tried to counter the administration’s successful roll out of social programmes by suddenly popping up and making demands. The trouble is, the actions called for were already being undertaken by the administration or had been completed and/or were programmes that were chopped by the previous APNU+AFC administration, in which the PNC/R was the dominant party.

Each time he revealed how misinformed he is. It is now obvious to all that Norton has shown that he literally has no social or economic development agenda, or knows for what principles he’s fighting. His mindset takes you back to the early PNC symbol, the pointer broom: sweep them out.

The PNC later downplayed the broom and promoted the palm tree to improve the party’s image, as it also later did with the name change from PNC to APNU. But it appears Norton did not get the memos on those changes.

The PPP administration has long been known for its social-leaning policies, combined with a pragmatic free-market approach. And this has been so long before the discovery of oil.
In contrast, particularly in recent years, the PNC has positioned itself to a small elite class more to the right, while manipulating the masses.

Norton has jumped out of this ring and is trying to establish his social agenda bona fides. And from the look of things, it appears to be a case of the Peter Principle or maybe now the Aubrey Principle, of the good foot soldier and organiser of protests being promoted above his level of competence.

This is evident in his actions and public pronouncements on various matters.
One would recall recently his threats in relation to upcoming elections and against CECOM Chairperson Justice (r’td) Claudette Singh, even after he has had to back away from the instigation at Golden Grove.

This is likely not the last threat from Norton as he continues to rampage and alienate even members of his own party. Perhaps the PNCR had very good reason to overlook him for the leadership role on several occasions in the past.

The challenge for the PNC is for the party to break out of the current mould and to collectively demand better of its leadership. The WPA of Walter Rodney is not the WPA of David Hinds.
The party has to define what it stands for and work towards those ends. They must represent all Guyana and not just a segment of Guyana.

In the past, the APNU+AFC has blocked AML/CFT legislation; attempted to block the payment by Norway to Guyana under an agreement to combat climate change; voted to defund the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC); voted against the Cheddi Jagan International Airport expansion;

cut funding for the Amerindian Development Fund, the Specialty Hospital and Marriott Hotel and opposed the Amaila Falls Hydroelectricity Project, which would stimulate new industries in areas such as Linden.

Are any of these items things the PNC wants to take forward as its legacy? The time and opportunity are here to make the leap. And it can start with a collective, “what can I do for my country.”