Opposition politics, coalitions

AUBREY Norton has secured a second term as PNC leader.
He has also managed to fend off any future opposition to his power grab and authority within the PNC by doing away with outspoken and independent thinkers Roysdale Forde, Amanza Walton-Desir, and Dawn Hastings-Williams, to name a few. The last PNC executive was ripped apart even before the congress by Norton, who carefully struck the chords of division, classism and suspicion among members and replaced them with ‘yes men’ and loyalists.

He engineered their replacement by the same ‘weak and compliant’ politicians at the just concluded congress, rigging and cheating the process through the hands of Sherwin Benjamin and Vincent Alexander, who took a record of one week to count ballots from 1300 delegates.
Now, he has rewarded Benjamin with the General Secretary position, a portfolio which has seen three women chosen and resigned because of alleged differences and grievances with Norton. Elson Lowe was handed the task of watching the party’s purse while Sherwayne Holder will continue to function in Norton’s shadows, never really representing the views and feelings of ordinary party folks.

Norton has seemingly also managed to get the executive that he ‘badly needed’. Its configuration will ensure that the next presidential candidate, consensus or not, comes from the PNC. With Coretta McDonald, Mervyn Williams and Nima Flu-Bess on the executive and watching all the members inclusive of the parliamentarians, Norton has the freedom now to focus his attention on regaining the leadership of APNU and starting talks about a new coalition with the Alliance for Change.
It did not matter the bad name and price he paid literally; it was worth it politically.

Now, all of that is in the annals of PNC’s history and after sojourning to the US over the past few days, Norton is ready to dedicate his time and energy to his cause and seemingly personal aggrandisement. If Norton was successful in becoming the leader and candidate for the PNC, amid damming allegations of division, attempted rape, internal corruption and being racist, who says that Nigel Hughes and other candidates would not be beaten easily?
After all, Norton is a political strategist. He has already reinvented, re-tooled and refashioned the local scene concerning the PNC’s internal politics, something he watched Desmond Hoye and Forbes Burnham do time and time again.

Now, the PNC party must shave itself of its rigging history and Norton knows just how to bring a new political movement to the fore. Just like they did by adding the Reform, APNU and One Guyana, Norton is reportedly talking about another coalition with new terms.
Sources close to the party leader say this is the reason for all his trips abroad, particularly to the US. Norton is trying to seal the deal with a broad-based alliance which will choose him at the helm as its presidential candidate. The source explained that the Working People’s Alliance and two parties from APNU are waiting and testing the political waters to see what is the mood of the people, and the political elites.
If APNU does not yield to the PNC demands, Norton will undermine it and seek to initiate talks with the AFC as PNC independently. According to the source, if AFC does not bow to the PNC, it will go to the elections with its version of a winning coalition.

So, Norton has a plan of action, it would appear, but one would ask who is the main person or entity funding such a risky and daring plan. Well, the source said, the funders are being kept in strict confidence and the public will know whenever Norton decides to tell them or if he decides to admit it.
Norton is taking risks and sources close to the Congress Place camp, say that meetings are set to begin over the next three months with civil society and political groups such as APNU, WPA, AFC, IDPADA-G and ANUG.
Firstly, Norton may have remade the PNC but he is still not liked and is unpopular among the party membership. He has not managed to appeal to voters and party supporters across the key parts of the country.

He has to fight an uphill battle with his MPs, party leaders and personalities with extreme influence in the party. The party leader may be where the decision-making power lies but the party council of Elders is equally as powerful, with Volda Lawrence, Amna Ally and Robert Corbin being there.
He may have rigged the election, but once he does not eliminate the threat of former president David Granger and the gang, the US chapter and new talk-show hosts who do not quite like the direction he is taking the PNC, he will be fighting to keep his head above the waters.

The PNC party still has to resolve the matter with Vanessa Kissoon and the transparency concerns of every financial member. There is still no audit and financial discrepancies are happening to this day. Low knows this and the PNC is haemorrhaging away because of a lack of accountability of funds.
Secondly, if Norton tries to undermine APNU and is successful at ‘killing’ it, this will backfire on the PNC. The WPA and AFC will be skeptical about entering a coalition with it. After all, the PNC as a political force in Guyana has blood on its hands and could in no way or form sell itself without its eventful and dark history. Also, the PNC was in control of APNU for the period 2011 to 2020.

It treated the WPA and AFC less than good and there are wounds which it will have to heal within the WPA and the AFC. Regardless, this negotiation of a plan to coalesce will call for political maturity, trust, and understanding, never mind that trust was already expended and expired. This will be risky internal politics and Norton may not get his way.
Thirdly, Norton will have to apologise for his PNC party’s attempt to rig elections in 2020 and every election before in his meetings with the diplomatic community. For example, he will try to justify the practice of rigging or what occurred, but he will be largely rejected. The PNC will have to explain a series of events and may have to agree to ‘giving away’ the presidential candidacy in return for its broad coalition to challenge the PPP/C. So, the meetings will be longer and less fruitful than expected. Norton may choose to go to the polls alone, and defeat is almost certain if he goes down this route.

Finally, Norton may need to go back to the drawing board with his plan because it has too many holes and cracks. It is not a strong and good plan of strategic action if sources are already talking about the deficiencies. Margaret Thatcher once said in British politics, that a political leader may have to fight the same battle more than once for there to be success. And, Norton may need to heed this very sound advice.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.

 

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