OPPOSITION MP Geeta Chandan-Edmond is determined to make a name for herself, regardless of the toll it may likely have on her political career. That takes courage. Her unflinching support for Budget 2025 garnered mixed reviews in the National Assembly last Friday.

Chandan-Edmond told the House that she had listened carefully to Dr. Ashni Singh’s reading of Budget 2025 and described the government’s policies, programmes and projects as positive measures.

“Let us make this a moment where we rise above the fray, where we put the interest of our people first and where we demonstrate that we are worthy of the trust that they have placed in us. Measures that alleviate poverty, I support. I support progress, peace, prosperity and commitment,” Chandan-Edmond said.

Her words were a breath of fresh air and signalled that there was still life buried under the debris of the Opposition. Did Aubrey Norton give her the green light? Was he using Chandan-Edmond to send a message to Nigel Hughes that he was skating on thin ice?

Or, was the attorney and former Magistrate speaking for herself or on behalf of a faction in the ranks of the Opposition – size, scale and scope yet to be determined – that is no longer prepared to embrace APNU+AFC’s divisive politics and race-baiting that are suffocating the people of Guyana.

While APNU+AFC members would have been contemplating what disciplinary measures they might inflict on their MP, it is ironic that Opposition MP Sherod Duncan, of all people, was made to follow Chandan-Edmond’s refreshing presentation.

If we were to assume for a moment that Chandan-Edmond represents a faction in her party that recognises the tremendous good that the government is doing for the country, Duncan, on the other hand, represents a loud and obnoxious cabal that is determined to pour scorn on any and everything that the current administration does for no good reason.

Instead of addressing what his observant colleague had to say, Duncan was fixated on the Hon. Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Hugh Todd. That Duncan was way out of his league was evident from the beginning. He did not have the oratory skill, the clarity of thought, the knowledge, experience or integrity, to speak ill of minister Todd or the work of his ministry.

It was extremely difficult to make sense of what exactly Duncan was trying to say. As Duncan composed himself, I thought perhaps he was going to turn his attention to Chandan-Edmond’s remarks. The two of them have a history of bad blood.

Chandan-Edmond was formerly a member of the AFC, but she jumped ship in 2022 to join the PNC/R and secured 445 votes to become one of its 11 Central Executive members. The PNCR described her at the time as possessing “management skills and good human relations skills” and Norton himself said he had “confidence in her abilities and will work with her as she strengthens and reorganises the administration of the PNCR.”

Duncan, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to have anything to his name. He opposed the leadership of Nigel Hughes. During a broadcast of “Road to AFC National Conference 2024” (April 2024), Duncan accused Hughes of not having the party at heart and said, “I’ve seen some people only come alive around national conference time,” a clear swing at Hughes.

Duncan also once enjoyed the full confidence of the tepid and inconsequential APNU+AFC Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo. In 2019, an audit of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited, printer of the Guyana Chronicle, from June 1, 2018, to September 10, 2018, found a litany of infringements under Duncan’s leadership as the General Manager of GNNL.

For example, tender rules were breached, services were procured without contracts, approvals were given for payments without the regular procedure of company stamp or signature, and cash advances were given to Duncan to travel abroad, but he did not clear the amounts.
Following the audit, Chandan-Edmond voted to remove Duncan from the board. In other words, the GNNL fired him. But Nagamootoo reinstated him with “immediate effect” which then led to the resignation of Chandan-Edmond and two other directors.

Her resignation came with a five-page letter addressed to Nagamootoo. In it, she explained that three Directors had voted to retain Duncan while three voted against and that she cast a vote in favour of dismissal.

The fact that Chandan-Edmond stood up to Nagamootoo and the vociferous Duncan and defended her principled position tells me that she is exceedingly thorough and that she possesses a high degree of professional integrity which led her to act upon her good conscience by resigning from the GNNL board on the basis of ethical principles.

If Norton did not green light Chandan-Edmond’s praise for Budget 2025 and he were to take action to expel her, the fearless MP must know that there is always room across the political aisle, but she should also know that time is of the essence.

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.