Geriatrics in the PNCR

Oct 03, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor:

Now that the PNC has had a chance to declare their results from their Congress, the confirmed results were astonishing.
Astonishing for the fact that the PNC, although it is in government has done very little political work to expand its political base. Being in Government should have caused an influx of youths, women and non-traditional supporters (East Indians and Amerindians) into its Central Executive Committee (CEC) because a governing party is expected to have more support compared to when it was an opposition party.
But when one looks at the new members of the CEC this is the same old set of senior citizens with a major invasion of the military kind. The table below highlights the changes in the PNC leadership from the 2016 Congress to the 2018 Congress.

Description 2016 2018 Change
Youths 5 3 (2)
Women 10 8 (2)
Military/Police Establishment 3 5 2
East Indian 2 2 NIL
Senior Citizen (over 65) 10 12 2
Rural 3 2 (1)
Amerindian 1 1 NIL

The evidence clearly reveals that the PNC now fronting itself as the APNU is like a political party on another planet. In this day and age, when the millennials, are the dominant force in all 10 Regions, you would have expected that an expansion in the youthful members on the CEC but the reverse happened.
I personally would like to celebrate the elevation of Volda Lawrence as the first female Chairman of the PNC, but when you drill down, you find that the devil is in the details and the details speak to a different reality.
In 2016, there were 10 women and 5 youths in that 20-member leadership body. Today, both the women group and youth group lost 2 places each.
What is even more shocking is that the leadership of the party seems to be getting older and older as the number of geriatrics in the leadership increased from 10 to 12 between 2016 and 2018. Can you imagine 8% of Guyana is classified as geriatrics but 80% of the PNC leadership is geriatrics? With no disrespect to my elders, clearly the mix in the PNC does not represent Guyana.
When I look at the PPP LGE candidates, I am overwhelmed with how young; ethnically diverse and gender-balanced is the distribution. When you look at the PNC candidates, you see a few dominating the scene like Patricia Chase Green, including one in the city who have many allegations of corruption against her and is right now under investigation.
Is Dr. Norton the best Amerindian candidate? Someone with so many questions around his competence as a minister and serious allegation of financial foolishness against his character has no place in the leadership of any political party, much less a governing one.
Unfortunately, it is my considered view, that the PNC made a major mistake by pushing Dr. Norton in light of the formation of an Amerindian Party soon.
When it comes to the Indo-Guyanese leaders, well there is nothing to say that the PNC continues to certify itself as a black party with little space for them in its leadership, notwithstanding the fact that 39% of the population is from that group. What is clear is that the powerful in the PNC has declared their intent – to hell with social cohesion and national unity in the PNC; it will not happen.
Who lost their seats? James Bond who campaigned hard for Volda Lawrence lost his seat, which translates to the fact that his support was irrelevant to her victory.
Then there is the political shocker – Basil Williams. He will have to be co-opted, as the most senior lawyer in the PNC.
Joe Harmon has been knocking at the door but it is clear that the PNC members do not trust him.
These results clearly establish that the members do not think Basil Williams or Joe Harmon can be the next leader of the party. However, if we understand the PNC well, what the membership wants is not what they will get because the cabal that controls Congress Place may very well impose a leader on their members to circumvent the member’s choice – Ms. Volda Lawrence.

Out In
James Bond Rt. Brig. Edward Collins
Basil Williams Rt. Adm. Gary Best
Lurlene Nestor Richard Van West Charles
Carol Smith-Joseph Aubrey Norton
Patricia Chase-Greene Dr. Karen Cummings
Hazel Pinder Thandi McAllister

That said, we all as Guyanese must celebrate the fact that Mrs. Volda Lawrence created history by becoming the first female PNC Chairman; it is a good thing for Guyana that she won. Her victory created a unique challenge for the PPP. My only advice to Ms. Lawrence, beware of the political charlatans like James Bond who are feeding off of your work and the geriatric ex-Generals, they are only there to do two things – undermine your work and advance their own cause.
Alex Duncan