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PNC’s leadership duality reminiscent of Trinidad

Feb 03, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – The battle in the PNC over the Opposition Leader position is reminiscent of and somewhat similar to what happened in UNC in Trinidad and Tobago in 2005 with some minor differences. But dual leadership — separate party leader and opposition leader — failed in Trinidad and is not likely to work in Guyana although it can be tried as is the case now.
The Guyana or TT constitution does not recognize office of party leader but opposition leader. The party leader is de facto opposition leader providing he or she is a member of the house unless otherwise chosen by commanding a majority of the opposition.

Basdeo Panday reportedly promised in the 2002 election the leadership of UNC to Winston Dookeran, the former central bank governor, to lure him to contest a safe Indian seat to parliament with the expectation that his replacement for the iconic former Attorney General and anti corruption crusader Ramesh Maharaj would propel the UNC to victory and Dookeran would replace Panday as leader after the election as PM or Opp Leader. The forces around Panday were convinced that Dookeran would bring back the Indians who abandoned UNC when Ramesh was fired as AG. The UNC lost power in 2001 without Maharaj and was consigned to opposition when Panday yielded power to Patrick Manning as PM. The UNC lost the 2002 election with Panday-Dookeran combination. A Panday-Maharaj combination would have won as opinions polls found before the election.

Under pressure from business persons who funded the party, Basdeo Panday stepped down as leader of UNC in 2005 and appointed Winston Dookeran as leader. Panday’s position was he promised to make him leader not Opp Leader. So Panday retained the Opposition Leader position while Dookeran demanded the other title also. The dual leadership and dichotomy of functions did not work and led to serious conflict and in fighting and trading of words between the two leaders. Dookeran could not wean enough MPs to become Opp Leader. Eventually, Dookeran left to form his own party (COP), taking away much of the Indian base resulting in Panday sending back for Ramesh Maharaj to save the UNC from certain defeat and the loss of the Indian base. With Maharaj back in the UNC, Dookeran‘s COP did not win a single seat in the 2007 elections with Dookeran himself losing his safe Indian seat to a newcomer.

The PNC is not going to break up into two or more parties over the conflict for Opp Leader. And the party’s support remains ethnically solid. But as the Trinidad case showed, dual leadership is untenable and impractical. The government cannot work with two oppositions from the same party. It didn’t work in Trinidad and won’t work in Guyana. President Ali and the government can’t give recognition to Aubrey Norton unless he is also Opp Leader. Who is Opp Leader is the PNC’s or the coalition’s business. They must sort out that problem. But President Ali can’t recognize and do business with two PNC leaders from different offices.

Norton is not a member of parliament and as such, he can’t be Opp Leader. But unlike Dookeran who was selected as leader at Panday’s instruction, Norton was elected as leader. That gives Norton legitimacy to lead. Nothing prevents Norton from being chosen as a member of parliament. As leader of the list, all that David Granger has to do is to replace a current MP with Norton paving the way for him to become Opp Leader. The coalition will not object to the PNC leader becoming Opp Leader. At any rate, the majority of Opp MPs are from the PNC. They determine who is the Opp Leader. The appointment of Norton to parliament and his becoming Opp Leader is just a matter of time.

Yours sincerely
Vishnu Bisram

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