–Norton says the people will decide; recalls co-opting his current challenger after he failed to meet the mark at the party’s last congress

PEOPLE’S National Congress-Reform (PNC-R) Leader, Aubrey Norton has flexed his proverbial muscle and stated that it was under him that his current challenger, Roysdale Forde was recruited to the party’s central executive committee after he failed to meet the mark at their previous party congress.

During a press conference on Friday, the Opposition Leader said that the outcome of their upcoming congress, which is slated for June month end, will not determine whether Forde remains a Member of Parliament (MP) but instead if he secures a spot on the central executive committee.

“The only change I would see is, you know, he ran in the last election and he lost, and he didn’t get on the executive. And as leader of the party, I have an option of co-opting members. And so I co-opted him as a member of the central executive, and we will have to wait on the outcome of the elections to know which direction it will go,” Norton said.

He later said: “Even if he loses, I will have to consult with people, and it depends on how you lose and what is the party’s perception. Remember, I’m not operating here as Aubrey Norton; I’m operating as leader of the party.”

Since Forde launched his internal campaign on the day of Norton’s press conference, the party’s shaky foundation has started to “rock” even more.
Notably, the party’s overdue 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress will be held over three days from Friday, June 28, to Sunday, June 30.

Early last month, former General Secretary of the PNC-R, Amna Ally took a jab at Norton by declaring that he is “not fit” to be a leader.
In an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Ally said that Norton is “losing ground” and “looking for scapegoats to place the blame on”.

In response to accusations that Norton was previously leveling against her, Ally called on the party’s leader to get his act together.
“What Mr. Norton, the Opposition Leader, has to do is pull his socks up. Mr. Norton must work with the Constitution, and he must seek to unify the party rather than splitting hairs and having people go their own way. He is not fit to be a leader,” Ally firmly said.

Additionally, she related that Norton’s feathers have become ruffled because she is not following him.
Instead, the former PNC-R General Secretary has placed her confidence in Forde, and while listing the qualities that Forde has, which she thinks make him a better candidate than Norton, Ally said: “…I don’t want to have a leader who has an issue with 30 blank cheques.”

According to former PNC-R Treasurer Faaiz Mursaline in a previous interview with this publication, from the time he assumed the position of elected treasurer, he was made to sign blank cheques with no supporting documents.

In November 2022, he signed as many as 20 blank cheques. In his request for an audit of the party’s finances, Mursaline said that he had even suggested that it be done by current party executive and Member of Parliament Volda Lawrence. However, this was shot down by Norton.

During the PNC-R’s press conference on January 5, Norton sought to address Mursaline’s claims that he’d called for an audit into the party’s finances by conceding that he’d advised him that Lawrence could not audit the party’s finances, as doing so would amount to a conflict of interest.

He, however, offered no explanation as to why a private firm has not been brought in to audit the party’s records.