RECENTLY, a recording surfaced with what appears to be a conversation involving three political lightweights from the opposition, the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNC/R).
From the recording, it appears to be the voices of PNC/R Executive Members Roysdale Forde, Ganesh Mahipaul, and Mohamed Faaiz Mursaline.
The first two were seemingly intrigued and surprised by the details surrounding the resignation of Mursaline from the party.
They kept asking about the leader, Aubrey Norton’s alleged involvement in the blank cheque debacle and racism allegations, which led the conversation down the path of discussing issues of accountability, governance, transparency and management in the PNC/R.
The trio then purportedly hatched a plan to write a letter to the 15 members of the party’s Central Committee ahead of Wednesday’s party meeting, detailing all of the concerns which would be signed by Mursaline.
Some other persons were named and came up for discussion on the recording, among them Volda Lawrence, Carol Joseph-Smith and Gary Best.
Mahipaul and Forde would be spotless in the end, through the eyes of fellow political party leaders.
Firstly, the PNC/R must be concerned about this internal political development; it is never good when the party’s business is aired in the public domain for everyone to see or hear.
In fact, someone close to or right in the party might have made the recording of what was seemingly meant to be a private conversation. They then intentionally released it on social media, mass media, and in certain political circles.
Maybe this 21-minute recording could be followed by other videos of other opposition and powerful PNC/R politicians discussing Norton’s leadership in less disparaging ways apart from lightweights Forde and Mahipaul.
In any case, it is a serious breach of the party’s rules of confidentiality and privacy to have such a recording made public in which the party’s business is on blast.
This requires a sweeping investigation, because someone must be held accountable or disciplined.
Secondly, the rift is growing between the Norton faction, the old yet powerful party members, and those who form the generous middle-class elites. There is also a disconnect between the middle-class and the working-class in the party when it comes to this opposition holding the government accountable.
All of this factionalism is retarding and affecting the development and growth of the PNC/R.
One must note that it is 2023, and opposition politicians are still scheming, fighting and setting each other up, as this recording demonstrates. The lack of trust and confidence in the party’s leadership will erode everything the PNC/R strives to do while it is not in Executive Office.
It has taken a servere blow with the resignation of party-strongwoman Lawrence, who recently came back to the limelight, only to find the party changed and still on a political rollercoaster. She is not as vocal as she used to be now; she is not the only one to resign or walk away from Norton’s PNC/R.
As quiet as it is kept, Joseph Harmon, Van West Charles, Stanley Ming and others are all watching the party fall from grace and self-destruct.
Then, there is the coalition fallout. Norton appears aloof and delinked from reality. Every single strong political ally that is worth anything has already broken off the ties it had with the PNC/R, either officially or unofficially.
Where is the WPA? Gone.
Where is the AFC? Gone.
Where are the other ‘paper’ members of APNU? Non-existent or in hibernation.
Where is the PNC/R? Present, but fighting against itself and the political demons within.
Thirdly, the Wednesday meeting will prove very interesting, because tempers will flair when certain issues are addressed for the first time since the party’s Congress.
If they do meet and discuss the recording, or issues of financial accountability, transparency and audit, then the issue of the motion of no-confidence brought by the Florida PNC/R Chapter in Norton’s leadership will arise.
If this doesn’t occur, there is room for Joseph-Smith and others in the party’s management and the issues of racism or racial intolerance to be discussed either partially or completely.
After all, there are much too many complaints made in the past two years about racism or racial insensitivities of leading persons in the PNC/R shown to other members who are of East Indian, Amerindian and mixed origin.
Also, the allegations against Norton made by Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Mahipaul and Mursaline and others must not be swept under the carpet.
As the saying goes, if you must cut one’s foot off to stop the whole leg and body from going bad, one will have to let go of one’s foot.
Similarly, the PNC/R must not save face; it must not shy away from making the tough decisions that it will have to make before it is too late.
If any party leader or politician would deflect and make all sorts of excuses, and give all sorts of half-baked explanations for racism, discrimination, and a lack of financial accountability and transparency, they must be booted; drain the swamp, or call in the political elders or political priests to perform an exorcism.
Finally, the PNC/R needs to get its act together, or it will sink further into the political wastebasket. It is a strong and united party, but if this factionalism, divisions, dullness, confusion, discrimination and racism continues, it will self-implode.
With just hours before the reading this year of the biggest National Budget ever to be presented, all that hangs in the political air are reminders of blank cheques, a controversial recording, a lack of leadership and betrayal, racism and the PNC division. This will not do.
It’s not cute when the political opposition is not at its best.