Opposition needs to behave like a Govt. in waiting - Aubrey Norton

Opposition needs to behave like a Govt. in waiting – Aubrey Norton

Feb 09, 2014 News

“It is my view that Parliamentarians need to do more work. And, I define work to be going out to the constituencies meeting with people, understanding their concerns and articulating their concerns at a number of different levels.”
This view was expressed by Aubrey Norton, former People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) Parliamentarian during a recent interview with this publication at his Plaisance, East Coast Demerara residence.

Aubrey Norton

Norton, a Member of Parliament during the Seventh and Ninth sittings of Parliament, emphasized that the Opposition needs to appear like a Government in waiting with clear cut policies on virtually every issue.
“So, when Government speaks they (the Opposition) have an alternative, they can state what elements of the Government approach they endorse and what elements they disagree with,” he explained.
Zeroing in on what the Opposition should be doing with its one-seat majority in Parliament, Norton stressed that Parliamentarians should be writing Government Ministers to get answers for challenges affecting residents across Guyana.
Moreover, they should be developing motions and other means of getting Parliament to take a position on particular issues, he asserted.
“Parliamentarians need to do a lot more research so that their utterances and the things they do are reflective of well researched and well prepared documents,” he noted.
Citing an example to explain his view on the tabling of motions, Norton said that the Opposition should table a motion on the energy sector which should be well articulated so citizens would become aware of the issues, and what needs to be addressed.
Further, if Government’s and the Opposition’s positions are in the open, citizens would be able to compare them and draw their conclusions on which they prefer. Such actions would help to shift Guyana from race- based petty type politics, to an issue base politics, he said.
Another course of action the Opposition should take is to implore on Government to present state papers on issues. He recalled that when the PNC Government was in power it presented state papers on major issues such as National Service and free education.
Norton explained that this allowed the National Assembly to debate the issue at hand and give the society a clear conceptual framework of what Government is going to do with the particular issue.
“At present I can tell you a number of areas where I think there is a need for state paper on. There is need for one on technology and the whole airwaves spectrum. It is in disarray. The Government is doing what it likes and the society is in shambles; there is need for a proper state paper on the bauxite industry and the sugar industry,” Norton stressed.
According to Norton, the Opposition needs to move in the direction of being organized and clear on its positions to enlighten citizens of their policies and what they will do if they get into Government.
Norton, an active member the PNC/R that is the largest faction of the A Partnership of National Unity (APNU), said that the PNC/R is an evolving Party.
He reflected that during the Burnham and Hoyte eras, the policies were clearly defined and the PNCR needs to articulate its policies clearly at this stage of Guyana’s.
“You can go to the APNU manifesto and see some articulation but the APNU is different from the PNCR. I think the PNC needs to articulate clear decisions on these issues and they should be taken to APNU’s governing body, debated and then have some consensus as to how they approach these policy issues,” he added.
However, for the PNCR to be a strong political party to effectively contribute to APNU and this country, it needs to develop its middle leadership capacity.
He stressed that no political party can depend on its central leadership alone. Therefore, the regional or middle leadership needs to take its place and step up to the task.
“Below the Region you need village leadership. Anybody who believes you can stay from the centre and organize and achieve your objective is fooling themselves…You need leadership from top to bottom,” Norton said.
He recalled that one of the things that made Burnham and Jagan significantly different from a lot of politicians is the leadership abilities of the persons they placed at the middle the party.
“In Burnham’s time he had leadership from the middle and at the top. You had a class political leadership with the likes of Rashleigh Jackson, Mohamed Shahabadeen, and Hubert Jack, so I am saying again the Opposition needs to develop that kind of leadership core.” Norton said.