Latest update January 9th, 2025 4:10 AM
Latest News
- Gov’t fearful of what investigation of lopsided oil contract would reveal- Chris Ram
- Hess hopes govt. 7th oil project will be approved by April
- ‘Ceasefire, captives deal in Gaza ‘very close’—Blinken
- Guyana protests as Venezuela plans to elect governor for Essequibo
- Woman dies while relaxing in car with boyfriend
Granger to skip PNC/R Congress after jetting off to Cuba for ‘health concerns’
Kaieteur News – Substantive Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Brigadier (Rt’d) David Granger, yesterday departed Guyana for Cuba to attend to matters of his health.
As such, the former President and Leader of the second largest mass based party, will not be in attendance at its 26th Biennial Congress slated for this Saturday, after a one-week postponement.
David Granger skips PNC/R Congress after jetting off to Cuba for health concerns
The announcement was made yesterday by the party through a formal statement, which indicated that given the development, Granger will, “not be with us at this historic Congress.”
He was scheduled to deliver the keynote address to the party delegates who are expected to vote for the new leadership.
Granger, while President in 2018, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and was treated at Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirurgicas [CIMEQ] in Cuba.
In January last year, his cancer was said to be in remission even as doctors ordered him to undergo routine checkups in Cuba.
Cuba’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla in 2018 had noted that his country “will do everything in its power for his [President Granger’s] full recovery so that he could resume his official duties as quickly as is practicable on a full-time basis.”
Granger was diagnosed in with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a type of cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network in the body, and was placed in the CIMEQ on Thursday, November 1, where he underwent a surgical procedure.
Prior to Cuba, the President had travelled twice to Trinidad and Tobago. He had done his annual medical check-up in May 2018 and was given a clean bill of health.
However, on his return to work, the President said that he started to experience certain symptoms, which were persistent, and took the decision to travel back to Trinidad to revisit the tests that were done in May that year.
By October the following year, he was told that the cancer was found to be in remission with another scheduled appointment for January last year where he was said to be in good health.
Granger had failed to pick up any nominations by his party’s delegates to compete for any of the positions to be voted on, including part leader and chairman.
That 26th Biennial Congress was slated to be held on December 11, last but was postponed as a result of the lack of its preparedness to pull off the event, as was determined by its internal Chief Election Officer, Vincent Alexander.
The Party said in a brief statement that the decision was made “in the interest of ensuring transparency, democracy and fairness to all its members, delegates and officials”.
Prominent Lindener, Sharma Solomon, former Attorney General, Basil Williams, and PNC/R stalwart, Volda Lawrence are among those who have been nominated to contest for leadership of the Party. Williams, has since pulled out of the leadership race.
The official list of nominees to contest for the leadership post includes: former Minister of State, under the coalition administration, Joseph Harmon, Aubrey Norton and Dr. Richard Van-West Charles.
As it relates to the post of Party Chairman, those nominated include the incumbent, Volda Lawrence, Gary Best, Shurwayne Holder, Amanza Walton-Desir, Roysdale Ford, Annette Ferguson, Aubrey Norton, Sharma Solomon, Ronald Bulkan, Christopher Jones, Richard Van-West Charles, Simona Broomes, Geeta Chandan, Dawn Hastings, Joseph Harmon and Mervyn Williams.
The Congress will be for delegates only, decentralised, and hybrid and will be conducted over one day at the Party’s Congress Houses, and approved venues in the respective regions.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
Jagdeo’s policies were a disaster
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- Bharrat Jagdeo’s proclamation of his party’s approach to reducing income inequality... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
