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Harmon will win over Williams for Chairman of the PNC

May 23, 2018 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

The history and nature of political parties in Guyana is that the leader is the natural maximalist actor. I know of no party in Guyana from my studies where the leader’s assertions no matter how untenable, no matter how unpopular are discarded. The leader gets his way. The leader decides who get what, when, where and how.
This Roman tale has existed inside political parties as far back as the fifties and some events are now fixations in the nation’s political history. Balram Singh Rai is on record as saying Cheddi fixed the election to favour Brindley Benn over him in the 1962 contest for chairmanship of the PPP. Jagan and Burnham from the fifties onwards until they died determined who they wanted in the hierarchy.
The Vincent Alexander versus Robert Corbin episode in the PNC has sadly led to the exodus of Alexander. Alexander told me he no longer has legal membership in the PNC. The Desmond Hoyte versus Aubrey Norton event led to Norton’s removal with a statement from Hoyte that still echoes in politics – “The General-Secretary is a creature of the leader.” The Robert Corbin versus Aubrey Norton saga was yet another manifestation that it is almost impossible to challenge the leader in the entrenched political culture of Guyana.
Faith Harding is dead and gone but she left the PNC in which she spent decades because she felt that Robert Corbin had manoeuvred to ensure David Granger won. When Granger won over Carl Greenidge by twelve votes, there were voices of suspicion. Clarissa Rhiel was one of them who didn’t accept Granger’s sudden success. She went public with her words that she didn’t know where Granger came from. She supported Greenidge in the contest.
At the South Road gates of the High Court, she told me that Granger was nowhere in the trenches. I can only offer my opinions to which I am entitled and my opinion is that Granger won because there was the powerful hand of Corbin in the atmosphere.
There is no question in my mind that Harmon will become the next Chairman of the PNC. The Chairman is effectively the deputy leader. Let me state my opinion again, I don’t believe congressional election from the fifties in the PPP and PNC has ever been straightforward affairs above machinations and conspiracies. Not for a moment will I change from that viewpoint. This is the nature of Guyana’s politics.
I see nothing in party culture that indicates that this ill-shaped module will change. I remember that when the President informed the AFC that it has to submit a name for the vacant GECOM Commissioner, an inner small group met at one of the AFC ministries to decide on a selectee. One of the nastiest, perhaps the nastiest, expressions of undemocratic conspiratorial leadership in the history of this country is the WPA. Since the death of Walter Rodney, the WPA has been an expression of incestuous politics, the type of which exceeds any depravity in the PPP and PNC. Rupert Roopnaraine, de jure and de facto leader of the WPA, is virtually a one-man show.
My take is that if the leader rises above the Harmon-Williams battle, we may not be able to predict who will win. But even here the situation is fluid because who controls the credentials committee determines the delegates system. If there are PNC leaders in that credentials committee that favour one candidate over the other, then the race is over. If the leader has a choice, again, I say the race is over.
Having dealt with that aspect of the politics of the PNC, I conclude this article by stating what I believe in. I think President Granger wants Joe Harmon to succeed him as PNC leader and president. If Harmon becomes Chairman and Granger retires before 2020, then only Nagamootoo’s generosity can make Harmon president by Nagamootoo doing what Sam Hinds did in 1997.
If Harmon becomes Chairman and Granger doesn’t run in 2020, then Harmon will be the presidential candidate. If Harmon is Chairman, and Granger wins in 2020 and midway, Granger retires, then the AFC Prime Minister would be asked to give way to Harmon, and he (I say he, because the PM slot for the 2020 election will be a male) will do so.
Of course, there is a monkey spanner in the works. A third, credible party is being formed. All it takes is for them to win two seats to create a minority government. In free and fair elections in 2020, I think there will be a minority presidency.

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