THE Opposition party is in chaos, and badly divided since Aubrey Norton’s reelection to its top leadership position.
Since the disastrous internal elections, Congress Place has been abandoned by party leaders and parliamentarians alike because of Norton’s deception, personality, and rigging ways. It is like a ghost town, and virtually no one ventures there unless they absolutely have to, except those that work there.

It used to be a hive of activity, fun, and a place of political debate during the years of Burnham, Hoyte, Corbin, and even Granger. Congress Place was the centre where every Opposition politician wanted to be, because of the level of camaraderie, unity and togetherness.

It was a place where discussions were the order of the day, and plans were birthed for the development of the country, both when in opposition and government.

Now, times have changed, not necessarily through growth, but it has become a place of toxicity and strange policies which seem to favour a few of Norton’s inner circle, at the expense of others and the party.
Under Norton’s hand, just a few prominent faces are sparsely there. There is little meaningful work done at the headquarters. There is bickering and gossiping of magnanimous portions.

Poor supervision and oversight by Norton has led to a divisive and racially-charged environment. This is just one reason why parliamentarians and politicians have deliberately reduced their frequency there.

Norton doesn’t appear to care, and wants it just as it is, because he has appointed or rewarded Sherwin Benjamin as his general secretary. Recall, he presided, with Vincent Alexander, over the questionable internal polls which resulted in a “win” for himself.

His appointment will definitely ensure that the financial corruption, impropriety and racism that occurs behind the walls of Congress Place stay hidden and locked away from the public eye and media.
Had this very same issue occurred at Freedom House, the public and media would be ripping Bharrat Jagdeo apart. So, why the double standards?

But Norton still has to answer a few questions. Whatever happened to the Vanessa Kissoon scandal that he had the party elders working on investigating? They chose to go public with it, releasing several statements, and holding a press conference. Where is this investigation? Was the police ever involved, or was it kept secret and swept under the carpet?

Whatever happened to having frank discussions with party members Roysdale Forde, Amanza Walton-Desir, Dawn Hastings-Williams, and many others?

Four years ago, he had touted that the party needed unity and togetherness, and that he was the person to bring this unity. Three years later, the public is still to see a change in the levels of unity in the party base, and, moreover, among party members, parliamentarians and politicians.

Recent history has proven if one disagrees with Norton’s management of the party and Opposition, then one is automatically cut off from the establishment. Ask Walton-Desir and Jermaine Figueira to tell their stories and experiences.

Where is the unity and love amongst party leaders? This is absolutely necessary for the building of political trust and compromise within the party and the wider opposition. If there is unbreakable unity, Norton would succeed in bridging the divisiveness and rancor, which is looming heavily over the PNCR and opposition coalition politics.

Norton should do an introspection, and must seek to remedy this issue before the upcoming general election. If there is no unity and togetherness, then the party will fall apart from within, starting at the top.

Seriously, the tense atmosphere and chilling feeling that is present at Congress Place is almost atomic.

Then, there is leadership deficit and competency issues. Norton still does not understand how to lead from the front; he keeps having difficulty with leadership. Norton has to set an example and standards for others to follow.

He has to immerse himself in the nitty-gritty of every significant political meeting or conference of the PNCR and the APNU coalition.
Norton must allow the party superstructure to work at all levels, and only guide it. This means he must keep the party democracy alive, and hold biennial congresses and General Council meetings frequently. This is what leadership looks like! Not only call the leadership together to canvass votes and favours at the internal elections and General elections. Having power and authority is two dissimilar things.

What he has is the first, and badly needs is the second concept. Norton can only arrive at authority when he starts the process of fair treatment, introspection, and listening to the concerns of party members.

He will only have authority in the party if he gets the trust of his fellow comrades. Currently, this seems elusive, and far more evasive.
Competency comes from having a political plan of action, and attack the enemy strategically. Norton does not have a plan for the leadership besides using it for personal gain. He also doesn’t have a plan for the country’s development and forward movement.

This is factual from what the public has seen, and what the party’s officials have said. How else could Norton justify having Elson Low and Nima Flu-Bess as his economic, oil and gas, Youth and sports experts? Norton must write down the plan and spend time stating how it could work to change the lives of Guyanese.

He spends the time responding to the government and allegedly exposing corruption, but no time saying what he would do or plans to change.

Norton and the PNCR must get a plan and work the plan. They must do away with the rigging machinery, and put on their thinking caps, then the metamorphosis of the opposition will start.

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.