Latest update January 30th, 2025 6:10 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

The next leader of the PNCR

Apr 15, 2018 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

This year’s Congress of the People’s National Congress Reform will not elect a new leader. But this year’s Congress will be about political succession within the PNCR. It has to be.

David Granger was a compromise candidate. After its disastrous performance in the 2006 general and regional elections, when Bharrat Jagdeo was at his most popular, the PNCR courageously decided that it needed to look beyond Robert Corbin as its leader.

Robert Corbin is the father of coalition politics in Guyana. Ironically, he was forced to sacrifice his own position, which he did in the interest of the party, in order to have a new leader who would also be acceptable as a consensus opposition candidate. That candidate turned out to be the untarnished David Granger, just the perfect choice that the party and the country needed – a man with clean hands and a clear conscience.

However, the party this year has to look beyond David Granger. It has to look to the future. This year’s Congress cannot avoid looking at the issue of succession within the party, and specifically, who is likely to succeed David Granger.

The party has already appointed a new General Secretary to replace the aging Oscar Clarke. While David Granger will remain unchallenged as leader, the party surely has to be looking at a replacement for him since, at best, he is not likely to serve as President beyond 2025.

By then, depending on when elections are held, David Granger will be either 79 or 80. No one truly should expect him to go beyond 2025, term limits or no term limits.

Granger is already one of the oldest heads of government in Caricom’s history. Cheddi Jagan died at 79.  Lynden Pindling of the Bahamas was out of power by the age of 71, as was James Mitchell of St Vincent and the Grenadines who was 69 when he demitted office.  Janet Jagan stepped down at age 78.  Burnham died in office aged 62 while his close friend Errol Barrow died at 69 and his not so close friend Eric Williams at age 70.

Granger seems to have a singular mission as leader of the PNCR and as President of Guyana. That mission revolves around restoring the legacy of Forbes Burnham. He is reinventing all of Burnham’s ideas and seems set to imitate his party’s Founder Leader in eventually doing away with a coalition partner.

Once Burnham’s legacy is secure, Granger would have done his part. He would have fulfilled his mission as Leader of the PNCR and as a devout admirer of the Founder Leader.

He will have to make way for another leader. The PNCR therefore has to look sooner or later for a new leader to succeed David Granger.

While the party is not likely to directly identify a new leader, that issue cannot be far from the delegates’ minds at this year’s Congress. The election of the Chairman of the party is going to take centre stage at this year’s Congress since, constitutionally, it is the Chairman who succeeds the Leader, when the Leader steps down while in office.

At present, the Chairman of the party is Basil Williams. But given the strategic importance of the position of Chairman, others are likely to throw their hat in the ring, because it is most likely that the successor to Granger will be the person who is elected Chairman of the party this year.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show | January, 27th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

Anna Regina Secondary reign supreme

Anna Regina Secondary reign supreme

Jan 30, 2025

-CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited GTTA/MOE Schools TT C/chips a resounding success Kaieteur Sports- The CNOOC Petroleum Guyana Limited (CPGL) Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA), Ministry of...
Read More
Fifties from Forde, Drakes, McCaskie give Barbados edge heading into Day 2 versus Eagles 

Fifties from Forde, Drakes, McCaskie give...

Jan 30, 2025

CANOC Executive Committee gathers in Guyana for pivotal Annual Retreat

CANOC Executive Committee gathers in Guyana for...

Jan 30, 2025

Dujon questions CWI over “surprise’ axing of coach Coley

Dujon questions CWI over “surprise’...

Jan 30, 2025

Wills, Bahabur, Johnson shine at GTTA Novice Championship

Wills, Bahabur, Johnson shine at GTTA Novice...

Jan 30, 2025

Guyanese boxers shine at T&T National Boxing Championships

Guyanese boxers shine at T&T National Boxing...

Jan 29, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]