– Members at odds over short, overdue congress notice
UNCERTAINTY has been the order of the day in the People’s National Congress-Reform’s (PNC-R) camp, where contentions are surfacing over the short notice provided to members for the party’s long overdue congress.

While a date for the long overdue congress of the People’s National Congress-Reform (PNC-R) has finally been set, members within the party are seemingly at loggerheads since many are deeming the timing as “unreasonable” while others are in full support of it.
Known member of the PNC-R, James Bond, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle has thrown his support behind the dates set as he explained that it was supposed to be held since last year.

When asked by this publication about his thoughts on some of his fellow party members being displeased with the dates, he said that one always has to be prepared, especially in the political arena.
Bond said: “If you are planning on running… then you have to be in a state of readiness. That’s how politics goes.”

He went on to say: “If you are saying now, that this is too short [well] then you weren’t prepared.”
However, these sentiments are in stark contrast to comments by PNC-R Executive Member, Gary Best, who has deemed the timing for congress as “unreasonable” and noted that he was not even present when the date was decided.

Best, in a social media programme, last week, said: “Usually the timeline for the congress should be one that is favourable. There’s nothing in the constitution as to when the congress should be held after an announcement, how long…. I expect the leadership to be reasonable in that date. I think and consider the one month to be unreasonable. That’s my view.”

He later stated: “More time [is] needed to prepare for a proper Congress because you get nothing out of Congress that is seemingly disorganised, our [persons] are not able to get all the information and all the preparation done on time, and the date of this Congress, coming after the CEC meeting seems to suggest that it’s coming in a hurry, it’s coming too quickly, and that there isn’t sufficient time to properly prepare for this Congress.”

The PNC-R Leader, Aubrey Norton, last week noted that the Central Executive Committee of the PNC-R decided at its meeting the previous Wednesday that the party’s overdue Congress will be held over three days from Friday, 28th June to Sunday, 30th June 2024.

The theme for the Congress will be: “Forming the next government: building a just, inclusive and prosperous society for all.”
Norton became leader in the party’s 2021 congress, where he was challenged for the post by Joseph Harmon and Richard Van West Charles. Forde had openly supported Harmon at the time.
Notably, last year, there were clear efforts by senior members of the party to displace Leader of the Opposition, Norton.