THE PNCR CONGRESS

Aug 22, 2018 Editorial

The PNCR Congress began with pomp and fanfare on Friday August 17 and ended with Volda Lawrence being greeted with screams and thunderous applause from the delegates when it was announced that she had won the chairmanship of the party. A former Vice-Chairperson of the party and the Chairperson of the National Congress of Women, the women’s arm of the PNCR, Lawrence soared to victory, despite being the underdog in a three-person race.
With massive support from the female delegates who were about 55 percent of the total delegates at the Congress, Lawrence’s victory is seen as a stunning defeat for Basil Williams, who served two terms as chairman and is a protégé of the late party founder and leader, Forbes Burnham, and for the powerful Joseph Harmon. President Granger was unopposed as party leader.
As one insider put it: “Volda won the hearts of the delegates and party supporters, many of whom were women, who were more (in number) than men at the Congress, because she has very good standing among women, particularly given that she heads the women’s arm.”
Additionally, Annette Ferguson defeated eight persons for the Vice-Chairmanship of the party. The victory of the two women is being construed as an end to male dominance of the party’s hierarchy. None of the results were contested.
In a show of party unity following her victory, Miss Lawrence was flanked by President David Granger, her opponents, her colleagues and delegates. She however played down the importance of the Chairmanship by saying that all positions in the party are important. While it is believed that the Chairman of the party will automatically become the leader should the leader step down or is no longer able to serve due to ill-health or other unforeseen circumstances, this would not be the case. The truth is the PNCR constitution has made it clear that in such a scenario, the chairman, in this case, Lawrence, would only be the leader for a 90-day period after which a special congress will be held to determine the leader.
Before the tension of Sunday’s election, there was the opening ceremony of the three-day Congress at which the leader of the party, President Granger, assured the nation that the coalition government will not be intoxicated by oil. Although the nation is aware of the government’s inexperience and inadequate human resources to manage the oil industry, yet the president is convinced that the government will manage the oil industry in a responsible manner for the benefit of present and future generations. However, during his one hour speech, he did not provide any details about the government’s preparations for oil or what it intends to do with the oil revenue.
With the establishment of the Department of Energy on August 1, under his direct authority within the Ministry of the Presidency, the President opined that the government has been prudently laying the groundwork for the petroleum sector to be managed in accordance with international best practices.
All that said, it is believed that this year’s congress, which was attended by supporters from across the country as well as from the diaspora, political partners of the coalition government, and the diplomatic corps, would be the last such gathering before two significant events in 2020—the commencement of the pumping of oil in commercial quantities and the next general elections. Very interesting times lie ahead.

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