THE circumstances surrounding the role of Geeta Chandan-Edmond as General Secretary of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) are murky at best. There is clearly something amiss and members of the PNC/R must inquire why it is that a senior functionary of the party has been missing in action for close to four months.

Internally, there are claims that the repressive culture manifested by the current leadership of that party has created a less-than-favourable environment which was already lacking morale and group cohesiveness following the dismal efforts of some operatives associated with the opposition to steal the 2020 General and Regional Elections and deny Guyanese people their democratic right.

At this stage, the internal crisis of the PNC/R is also what reflects externally. So mediocre has been their performance that Attorney General Anil Nandlall, S.C. had cause to quip during a public meeting some time ago that the political opposition must be more responsible and effective in carrying out its duties, even as that duty means criticising the government.

The Attorney General is correct. It should be recalled that due to their non-participation in the consideration of the estimates for the most recent national budget passed early this year, government-affiliated members of parliament were forced to ask their colleagues, who were ministers of government, questions so that a detailed parliamentary record could be created for access to future generations on the rationale behind some spending priorities.

Non-participation has been a fundamental theme of the political opposition’s new tactic which has consistently forced especially younger voters away from the opposition coalition of parties and into the camp of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic. If Mr Norton is asked, as evidenced by his recent reliance on a fictitious, secret poll, he would say differently.

It is befuddling that notwithstanding these tactics, there are those who would still claim that the President Irfaan Ali-led PPP/C government has not done enough to engage the opposition parties on matters of national importance. A few examples of the olive branch being extended by the PPP/C but tossed aside by the PNC/R are necessary.

Recall the confusion surrounding the engagement between President Ali and Opposition Leader Norton, during which it was claimed that the Opposition Leader’s schedule was so busy that the President had to bend his timeline around Mr Norton’s availability.

Graciously recognising his role to create the conditions for governance in keeping with Article 13 of the Constitution, President Ali, with AG Nandlall at his side, kept the door open for an Opposition Leader who was a no-show at one such important consultation. Recall the political opposition’s effort to dupe the public into believing that there was sound reasoning, without ego, which created that situation.

Similar was seen during the national stakeholders’ meeting on the amendments to the electoral laws. Supporters of and voters for the APNU+AFC should be worried that despite the political opposition shouting from the mountaintops about this issue and that regarding the electoral process, as duly elected representatives of a significant portion of the voting population, their first plan was to boycott the event. Hopefully, feeling ashamed at the initial decision, they quickly rescinded and attended the consultation last week. The Guyana Chronicle reported that the representatives of the political opposition left the consultation before the open forum- discussion commenced. To what end?

Again, we saw similarly bizarre tactics months ago when an invitation for the political opposition to name a representative to serve on one of the committees relating to the petroleum fund, was ignored. Yet, they will continue to claim exclusion and the like. Again, to what end? The announcement of the date for local government elections is yet another example where we have seen the political opposition engage in aggressive advocacy for a particular course of action, and then boycott that action once it is implemented by the PPP/C government. For the third time, to what end?

The chaos and confusion consuming the internal affairs of the PNC/R, as one of Guyana’s largest parties, threatens the very stability of our governance system. It simply cannot make up its mind on what its role is, and that is clear. The leadership of the group must take stock of where the tension lies, even if the tension comes from the very leader of the party, and work quickly to remove that tension and all that birthed it. Guyana’s Westminster-styled system creates a non-negotiable arrangement where the political opposition must have a say. The nation, however, cannot advance while continuing to be held hostage by the politics of brinkmanship exercised by the APNU+AFC. But, despite public pleas, they continue, to what end?