AT the height of the nation’s Phagwah celebrations, Aubrey Norton and his PNC/R released a political ad that reeks of hypocrisy and deception. It’s a classic case of a negative political messaging that signals the kind of campaign the PNC/R+APNU+AFC intends to run when a date will be set for the upcoming 2025 national elections.

Many PNC/R die-hards have publicly denounced Norton as a “do nothing leader” who lacks what it takes to engage the masses. One of those long-standing members – Amna Ally – quit the party after 54 years, citing Norton’s misogynistic behaviour towards women in the PNC/R.

Norton brushed off Ally’s criticism and said she had been inactive in the party for the last three years. In one sweep of his hand, he dismissed half a century of civil service by the most prominent woman in his party, displaying even further evidence of misogynistic behaviour.

If nothing, Norton is a survivor. A long list of PNC bigwigs that included Desmond Hoyte, Robert Corbin, Joseph Harmon, Basil Williams and David Granger have tried to cut him down to size and failed.

And now, as leader, he is facing a wave of internal dissent from at least half a dozen aspiring leaders who believe he is bad for the political life of their party. And now, here comes an ad synced to some arrhythmic lyrics of slogans bereft of a vision that seeks to portray Norton as the leader that will save Guyana.

It takes a lot more than a photo-op of a politician glad-handing with Guyanese at Parika market to sway the people of this country even when it contains lyrics of a soundtrack that says “Aubrey likes us, he fights for us, he’s one of us, he’ll lead for us.”

Talking about leadership, hours before the television ad dropped, the PNC/R issued a press release calling on the PPP/C government “to explain its role in the Melissa Ann Atwell affair.” Incredulously, the PNC/R’s demand for transparency is based on “speculation that her detention is linked to complaints made by the government of Guyana.” Speculation? What can be said to the leaders of the PNC/R that believe U.S. law enforcement agencies will detain a Guyanese living in New York at the behest of the PPP/C government without me using words like stupid, and ignorant?

And who amplifies this idiotic release on the New Source social media platform? None other than Gordon Moseley. In his signature breathless style, Moseley refers to Atwell, a.k.a. “Melly Mel” as a “social media activist” six times in a single report. Surprisingly, News Room also refers to Atwell as an activist. In what world is “Melly Mel” an activist?

Can Moseley please highlight the cause that Atwell is championing? What social, political or environmental campaigns is she heading? When I hear the word activist, the first person that comes to my mind is Greta Thunberg, followed by the organisers of the Black Lives Matter movement which gained wide-spread momentum after the horrific murder of George Floyd.

“Melly Mel” is no Thunberg, the Swedish climate change activist, nor is she in the same league as Shaun King, founder of BLM who recently converted to the religion of Islam. Atwell doesn’t use her Facebook page to advocate for anything other than to peddle malicious lies and concoct misinformation for no apparent reason but to stir up social mischief.

I am not celebrating the misfortune of anyone, but as Moseley has shown in his recent TV report, it appears Atwell has a solid team of American lawyers pouring over their computers and making frantic phone calls on her behalf. And if those lawyers aren’t enough, Atwell can always lean on the love and support that Rickford Burke has graciously offered her.

Meanwhile, the people of Guyana are aware that a PNC/R ad does little to obscure the reality of what Norton really stands for. Addressing APNU+AFC in January 2024, Norton hinted at potential repercussions for those who voted for the PPP/C. When called upon to clarify whether he was advocating violence in the 2025 elections, Norton was numb.

In February this year, Norton said he would make the ‘Because We Care’ cash grant conditional upon school attendance. That’s how much confidence and regard that Norton and his PNC/R have in Guyanese parents. In numerous public statements, Norton has repeatedly demonstrated his allegiance to Forbes Burnham, an allegiance that gives me the heebie-jeebies.

In his address at the PNC/R’s 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress on June 28, 2024, Norton outlined the party’s enduring commitment to Burnham’s vision and leadership. He has even critiqued policies that, in his view, deviate from Burnham’s errant economic policies that literally bankrupted the country. Just two months ago, during the Budget 2025 debate, Norton expressed pride in Burnham’s decision to ban certain imported food items. He stated, “We restricted items in the 1970s and we are proud of it.”

This cruel PNC policy restricted Guyanese from importing essential items such as flour, split peas, potatoes, sardines, and corned beef. It went further, anyone caught possessing the banned items could be imprisoned. To avoid detection, many families resorted to burying banned items in their backyards.
There is one thing I am certain about, Norton’s PNC/R+APNU+AFC are deceiving you when they tell you that they have embraced a “People’s First” agenda. Don’t be fooled by the song and dance.

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.