THE elections are over. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) has managed to win 906 out of 1,220 seats contested at the June 12 Local Government Elections.
This is approximately 75 per cent of both Proportional Representative (PR) and Constituency seats, while the People’s National Congress Reform-led A Partnership for National Unity (PNC/R-APNU) clinched 275 seats. The PPP won seven of 10 towns and municipalities, including Bartica and Lethem, which are considered PNC/R-APNU strongholds traditionally.
The smaller parties and individuals were white-washed and massively defeated with only 39 winning the seats where they contested.

It is fair to say from everything that the public saw playout between these two big parties with these elections in the last week, the APNU and its leader Aubrey Norton are facing a dialectic psychological and political trauma.
In other words, the defeat they suffered has resulted in all sorts of complex, chronic and acute trauma. This trauma has resulted in the denial that they were defeated, rejected and ignored by the electorate and the people of the country.
This even resulted in lies, falsehoods and alternative facts told by Norton and the others who appeared at their weekly press meetings and public engagements. And, who could forget the brazen and bold attempt of the PNC/R-APNU to fool the public about which constituencies and towns were won?

The effects of trauma suffered by Norton and the APNU have it organising victory parties, marches and rallies through the streets in the areas that it won by a small margin of votes, notably Industry to Plaisance NDC and New Amsterdam to name a few.
The state of confusion, denial, guilt or shame, and numbness is a normal symptom of political defeat but Norton has taken it to a new level. He chooses to wear his defeat and badge of shame, proudly turning his failure as the opposition leader into some sort of virtue.

After all, as the author of the book called “A Game of Thrones”, George R.R. Martin said, “Most men would rather deny a hard truth than face it.” This makes perfect political sense as APNU is dying, and Norton’s legacy as opposition leader will be defined by this rejection suffered at the local level before 2025 when he will have the audacity, chutzpah, effrontery, gall, and temerity to offer himself up as the candidate for president before suffering rejection and withdrawing.

Also, this conspicuous or flagrant boldness of APNU and Norton can never distract the public from the level of infighting, war and turmoil that is taking place behind the scenes within Congress Place among the political elites and party supporters.
Is this the reason why all but three parliamentarians do not want to be seen at Norton’s side when he declared victory but did not offer the type of intellectual, scientific and verifiable information to the public and media?

Do they not want to stand by their leader as he talks about the buffoonery and stupidity that he has seemingly become infamous for?
Where are the General Secretary of PNC/R Dawn Hasting-Williams, Chief Whip Christopher Jones, the Chief Scrutineer Carol Joseph, and the other usual suspects? Where is the AFC, its divorced partner? Where is the WPA? Where are the members of “the lunatic fringe” as the PPP/C GS Bharrat Jadgeo calls them?

Or are many of these same opposition politicians and parliamentarians quietly planning a coup for Norton ahead of the rigging that will overshadow the emergence of a new party leader at the next biennial congress?
What is known for a fact, the PNC/R-APNU must get some help for the psychological and political trauma it is battling. It is never good to suffer alone or to be living in denial.

After they get the help that is needed and come to grips with reality, the same group has to do introspection before commencing the reconciliation and healing amongst the masses. Remembering and telling the truth about defeat is a prerequisite both for the restoration of the socio-political order and for healing. The conflict between the will to deny defeat and the will to proclaim them aloud is the central dialectic of psychological trauma.

If this develops into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), APNU and Norton may have a mental disorder. To the ordinary and sane individuals, Norton and APNU’s slip is showing and it is not cute!