LEADER of the Opposition (LoO) and head of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Aubrey Norton is back at it again, using attacks on journalists as a smokescreen to avoid giving direct answers to questions posed to him.

The Guyana Chronicle was the latest media house to be at the receiving end of Norton when he was pressed for clear answers on his calls for a clean voters list, among other topical issues.

During his weekly virtual press conference on Tuesday, Norton was questioned about claims he made of a poll that was taken and shows that the APNU+AFC party was leading in popularity and will win the next Local Government Elections (LGEs).

Norton, who had claimed that the APNU+AFC is in possession of the Statements of Poll (SoPs) that shows that the coalition won the March 2020 General and Regional Elections but is yet to reveal it, dodged questions that were posed to him on the ‘mysterious’ poll he claimed to have.

According to Norton, the poll was given to him by PPP members and he cannot talk much about it because it will expose the PPP members who gave it to him. Several members of the PPP have indicated to the Guyana Chronicle that Norton is either relating a dream or gaffing at his press conferences.

Norton was also pressed about his party’s refusal to give a clear cut outline of the steps that can be taken to achieve the clean voters list that the PNC/R has continuously been lobbying for.

Here, the Opposition Leader also dodged answers posed by the Guyana Chronicle.

“We will discuss it and continue to discuss it with those [entities] who have an interest in a clean voters list. We don’t see [the Guyana] Chronicle as one. I don’t see it as an agenda of attempting to get to the bottom of a critical issue. We are going to continue to discuss with civil society, diplomatic community,” Norton declared.

Over the past few weeks, Norton and other members of his party have been aggressive with reporters from the State media, particularly the Guyana Chronicle.

Norton has also had contentious encounters with other media personnel as he often side steps questions instead of providing direct responses to them. Back in January he went at it with journalists from the Stabroek News and Newsroom when questioned about a leadership confusion in the party.

Norton as the Opposition Leader, PNC/R Leader and Chairman of the APNU has also been evasive about the Coalition’s participation in the upcoming Local Government Elections (LGEs).

He said he will not be speaking on the issue of the APNU’s participation and is instead focussed on a clean voters list. But he is stringently refraining from giving clear cut answers on how this will be achieved.

Much uncertainty exists with regards to the means by which Norton’s call for a “clean voters list” will be achieved, since thus far Norton’s call for names to be removed from the list, is illegal given a ruling by the Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George.

In 2019, the High Court ruled that the removal of the names of persons on the list of registrants, and who were not, or have not been, or are not registered in the current house-to-house registration exercise would be unconstitutional.”

Hence, even if a house-to-house registration process is done by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), it is barred from removing the names of anyone from the National Resister of Registrants, except in the case of death. Though Norton frequently complains about the need for a clean voters list, the Coalition refused to participate in the recent Claims and Objections period to sanitise the list.