AFTER the 2015 election, Aubrey Norton was not elevated to a conspicuous position in the pantheon of powerhouses of the PNC. His status as a politically-experienced PNCite was established, but in terms of power, he was in the second-tier realm with the designation of youth empowerment. In the last year of the life of the PNC in power, he was given an office in the Ministry of Citizenship.

Practically, then, Norton was not a wielder of power in the APNU+AFC government. But Nigel Hughes was. At the time the coalition came into power, Hughes was the deputy leader of the AFC by virtue of being its chairman, which, according to the AFC Constitution, made him deputy leader. Hughes was then in a position to shape the AFC’s intentions for Guyana.

He was in a position to drive policy directions of the AFC, because governments are formed by organisations that are voted in to administer State affairs. Government policies do not drop from the skies, but come out of the bosom of those who are given a mandate by the electorate to transform the country.

In this context, Guyanese should be reminded what Rupert Roopnaraine did when he became minister in the 2015 government. He did an unforgivable thing that has permanently damaged his credibility. What I am about to write in the next few lines did not come from me; it came from Tacuma Ogunseye.

He published a letter in the Stabroek News in which he informed the Guyanese people that at an executive meeting of the WPA, Roopnaraine informed the executive that he cannot discuss government business with the party. Three big names in the WPA in 2016 – Alissa Trotz, David Hinds and Keith Branch- paid a visit to Minister Roopnaraine and were told he cannot discuss government business with WPA leaders.

For more on this issue, see my column of September 3, 2020, titled, “Untergang: Rupert Roopnaraine in a cartoon”. Of course, David Hinds, in his quotidian efforts at fooling Black people in this country, will never touch that political degeneracy. Now, back to Hughes.

What was his role as deputy leader of the AFC, which shared 40 per cent of the government during the tenure of APNU+AFC? Norton, in the current election campaign, must face questions about his actions since becoming leader of the PNC, but not his role in government between 2015 and 2020, because he had no substantial position. It is Hughes that has to explain things his party did, and he has an obligation to so do.

I think this will be the Achilles’ heel of Nigel, because, in doing so, he knows it will dent his credibility and that of the AFC.

We are in an election campaign, and he must face the electorate bravely. Some of the questions here appeared in a column of mine a few months back.

One: As deputy leader of the party in government, did he play a part in the denying of a Cabinet post to Raphael Trotman when the party met in May 2015 to select its leaders?  As one of the most popular and powerful persons in the AFC in 2015, why was he not assigned a ministerial position, and as deputy leader of the AFC, did Nigel play a part in overlooking Trotman? Of course, in unambiguous language in his book, Trotman wrote that he was not considered.

Two: Can Nigel, in detail, tell the Guyanese people what triggered his resignation from the AFC in 2017, after a tempestuous outbreak among AFC executives at a retreat called by the AFC at the Convention Centre  to shave off the immense power of the Ministry of the Presidency?

Nigel has to know, and must know that when you enter the race to lead your country, you have to face questions about your eligibility.

Azaruddin Mohamed will drop out of the contest when questions are put to him about recent behaviour that no other country would accept.

There has been no explanation in the public as to the factor that triggered his resignation.

Below is the reason, and this fact was never made known before. I think my exposure below is the first time it is being aired. Here is what happened. The retreat decided to curtail the enormous power of the Ministry of the Presidency. The PNC leaders got hold of the information, and began to berate the AFC.

One of the accusations levelled by the PNC was that what the AFC was doing could bring down the government. All the AFC leaders in government, without exception, told President Granger that it was Nigel Hughes that was pushing fire. They simply threw Nigel under the bus. Nigel is back with the same AFC leaders that betrayed him.

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.