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Is the PNC at the crossroads?

Jul 25, 2012 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

In the middle, right in the middle of the Linden crisis is another rising nightmare – the fear of a fixed, congressional election in the PNC. In fact, the Linden troubles have overshadowed the upcoming congress of the PNC. On Monday next we will know who has become the leader of the PNC.
It is obvious that journalistic integrity prevents me from disclosing my conversations about the congress with hierarchical members of the PNC. But the vibes I am getting from several of them is that they think the votes will be far from perfect. Two former PNC leaders who are dyed in the wool PNC organisms have publicly expressed discomfort with the organizing process so far.
Vincent Alexander has stated that the transparency canopy is far from clear and more needs to be done. Faith Harding was less diplomatic than Alexander. She intones that she has fears about the fairness of the eventual results. Then there are those who have expressed to me serious reservations about the entire system. Three trepidations have been conveyed to me about the congress.
The first one needs not detain us here, except for its implication which I will address below, and that is that the presence of manipulation will prevent a free vote. Secondly, that Mr. Granger does not have the psychological qualifications to lead the PNC in this time in the life of the PNC where its essential constituencies are facing a disastrous future under the continuous hegemony of the PPP.
Thirdly, there is a strategically placed unit in the PNC itself and in its constituencies that will be reluctant to accept Granger if the process is not transparent and therefore the war of the flea may break out inside the PNC from Monday onwards.
Outside of all of this is the continuation of Mr. Robert Corbin’s presence in the physiology of the PNC through his seat in the executive. It is total asininity for any Guyanese in or out of the country to say that Mr. Corbin will not win a seat on the executive. The question is when he does, will he be actually become the king behind the throne? The answer will depend on the people who are elected.
Some critics of Mr. Corbin within the PNC have told me that Mr. Granger owes his elevation to leadership in the PNC to Corbin and will be loyal to Corbin and that loyalty will endure because Corbin will be in the executive committee to see to that. It is not who is loyal to whom that will matter after Monday, it is how the person who becomes leader won the contest. In other words, the method used.
If Mr. Granger wins fairly then it is possible that although the radicals would not have liked him to beat Mr. Greenidge, they may settle down with Granger.
If popular PNC leaders, particularly Aubrey Norton who is no easy walkover, feel that the PNC election was not fair, then the PNC will have a political guerrilla warfare raging inside Congress Place until the next congress.
But will the PNC survive until another congress? The answer is yes; of course. The PNC is too powerful a national institution to die. But its chemistry, energy and dreams will certainly take a cruel beating, because it will be a devastatingly divided entity.
Some are going to remain on the periphery. Some are going to quit. Some are going to fight Mr. Granger and Mr. Corbin. Will they win? Let us say yes. But it will only be at Congress Place. Not on the streets, in the PNC constituencies and in Guyana as a whole. Again, I return to Aubrey Norton. My objective assessment of Norton is that together with people like Vincent Alexander and James Mc Allister, he is a popular PNC stalwart. Mr. Norton is not going to be easy to just wish away. His value was demonstrated in Linden during the national elections.
But if the PNC goes on to be active in politics, a weakened party will have to contend with competition from people, who though not in conscious competition with PNC leaders, will certainly receive warm reception from PNC constituencies. Nigel Hughes comes firstly to mind. Mark Benschop is growing in stature daily. These are not PNC people. The WPA’s own standing will rise as the PNC falls and Dr. David Hinds may find it difficult to stay under the APNU umbrella for the simple reason that he is one of the most respected African Guyanese. All eyes will be on the PNC on Monday.

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