The People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) is a political party of extreme complexities.

It is a party where the class structure is evident but its hold on the grassroots and ordinary Guyanese is still strong, though that hold is becoming weaker as years go by.
Undoubtedly, the group that is leading the PNC/R has had a complex relationship with the practice of covert and subliminal racism ever since the days of the late founding member, party leader and Prime Minister Forbes Burnham.

The party has used this covert racism to guide its relations and influence its stance on every policy position in Guyana. Also, subliminal racism has kept the party groups alive and tightly shut while they pick and choose which one or two members to allow in the PNC/R.

Looking at it from an objective perspective, the PNC/R has solidified itself as an ethnic party that champions the cause of Afro-Guyanese.
There is always going to be another ethnic grouping to lend credence to its multicultural and diverse propaganda claim but that is just for election purposes. These are individuals who are treated like tokens and serve the ‘window dressing’ purpose.

This has served every PNC/R Executive since 1957 and right up to the 1986 timeframe when Desmond Hoyte famously started to engineer meaningful reforms and change within the bosom of the party. He wanted the leadership of the PNC/R to be competent, intelligent, and knowledgeable Guyanese, not just Afro-Guyanese. So, he started the improvement of the Indian people and other minority racial groups.

This soon took the backburner as the ugly racism sprung up in the PNC/R into the 1990’s and 2000’s straight up to 2011 with Robert Corbin trying his hand at forming various alliances and coalitions, but it was all sham coalitions destined to fail.

Then, opposition political forces unified under David Granger and allowed the main driving factor which had been racism to sleep and lie dormant. He became President and suddenly the racism and the politics of the PNC/R were given life again. Throughout his tenure, they did nothing for black people or Africans of significance, and nothing to better their lives which they said were retarded and affected by the alleged years of racism.

Now, they raised the salaries of public servants, teachers and nurses marginally but the Granger administration did not do this for all Guyanese. It was the first sign of more atrocities to come, and they did engineer this focus, covert and subliminal racism against the Guyanese at large. With every top appointment, it seemed meritocracy was never considered. It was like the military and police background were always considered for employment.

Fast track to the present day, the leadership of Aubrey Norton, who is considered a political strategist, has taken the party back to pre-1985 with his actions and positions. Also, racism is alive and well. It is not covert even though the present political climate rejects it. Norton has joined with others, in and out of Guyana, in adopting the false line that somehow the government of the day is racist and discriminatory but fails again to show or present evidence of just how racist it is.

He knows that his predecessor Granger dropped the ball on having this issue addressed once and for all, if it is as prevalent as they say, by having the Ethic Relations Commission, the State and independent parties investigate racism in Guyana.

Apart from this, he has been accused of racism towards his party members particularly those of various racial backgrounds. He has conflicts with a majority of old, different and modern thinkers who want the PNC/R to move away from the Burnham way of leading and doing things.

After all, he is not half the leader Burnham, Hoyte and Corbin were and should not seek to project their attitudes onto the role of opposition leader now. They are leaders from the past who are dated. Also, Norton is allowing his affinity with the ‘spirits’ and social weaknesses to affect his tenure. The opposition leader’s obsession with Bharrat Jagdeo is unhealthy as his apparent disdain and disrespect shown to President Dr Irfaan Ali who is surprisingly on the course of uniting different ethnic groups into one melting pot of culture and ‘One Guyana’.

Norton’s leadership is weak and may yet have debilitating effects on the PNC/R if he is allowed to lead the party in the upcoming elections. If the PNC/R was fractured and divided when he took over the reins of power in 2021, it is even further disunified and badly divided with cracks hidden right in Congress Place.

The party must hold fast to democratic rules and withstand the strength of Norton’s political games. The general council and the central executive council must do what is right for the party and the congress. Where are all these policies, plans and proposals that the PNC/R has for Guyana? Norton has none. Where is the challenger of Norton? Are the party leadership weak and compliant?

What happened to Volda Lawrence and the other women in the party? Have they been silenced to soothe Norton’s thirst for media attention and lust for power? Where are Christopher Jones, Ganesh Mahipaul, Amanza Desir, Roysdale Forde and even Sharma Solomon to rescue the party from Norton’s grip?

Unfortunately, the PNC/R keeps repeating the same mistakes in the leadership of the party and the country. It chooses square pegs to fit in round holes and when that is exposed, they unceremoniously rig the process. Then, back to the PNC/R racism which is their lifeblood!