What Amna Ally told me broke my heart

Aug 19, 2022 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News – In politics, no matter how far away we are politically and ideologically from each other, there are residual sentiments we have for people we met along the way, and we forever like them.

One of those persons is Anil Nandlall. I believe Anil is a good man at heart who cares for the poor and powerless. I believe Anil would reach out to people irrespective of race and politics.

During my activism against the PPP government, I maintained a sentimental relation with Anil that began long before he ever dreamt of being in politics. Another such person is Ronald Bulkan of the PNC. A decent politician whose friendship I kept while he was a minister and he reciprocated the friendship.

In the WPA, I got along fine with Andaiye long after I broke with the WPA. She was someone who judged me by what I was made of and never ever persuaded me against criticising the WPA. She remains the only high profile political activist that showed up in court when Mark Benschop and I were charged for an inconsequential traffic offence after three days in the Brickdam lock-up.

I know for a fact that across political parties and ethnically driven organisations, Amna Ally is viewed in a very positive light. I know people in the PPP who always liked and still like Amna Ally.

I am personally fond of Amna and always was. I think there are two characteristics that stand out for me about Amna. She does not relate to people on the basis of race and politics. It would be naïve of me to say that Amna would choose a PPP applicant in front of a PNC candidate. All politicians favour their own – the PPP and the PNC are no different from other parties in every other country.

But Amna would not turn down a request from a PPP person if she had the capacity to help that person. I called Amna to be the guest on the Gildarie-Freddie Kissoon Show.

She told me she spent 53 years in the PNC, love her party and would not go public with criticism of her party. She declined and gave me a telephonic interview instead. Then Amna handcuffed me so tight that this column would have to be filled with ramblings if I am to complete 790 words which is my self-imposed limit.

I am only allowed to briefly touch on some of the things said. She described what I am allowed to put in this column here. Sounding almost tearful and depressed, she said it was painful when her friends showed her on their Facebook postings (she does have a Facebook account) what many of the current leaders are saying about her.

Then she said, “Freddie I am done with politics, and with the PNC, you can write that.” I grabbed the opportunity to persuade her to reveal these things on the show. I pointed out that such an interview will have unlimited viewership. But sentiments were oceanic. She insisted she will not discuss her party faults in public.

I asked if the bad-mouthing was coming from current leaders in the PNC and she answered before I could finish. She said: “Yes, Yes!” I asked about Norton. But after speaking, permission was not granted to print.

So there you have it; Amna Ally has removed herself from politics and the PNC. But her depression tells the cruel story of life. How can anyone spend 53 years in an entity, reached the pinnacle and 53 years after become persona-non-grata?

Amna is a PNC icon. How can you explain the scandalisation of her name when she never left her organisation and has never bad-mouthed it in public? The Amna Ally story is about the fragility of everything in life. Who in Guyana would have imagined that Amna would have been treated like this even after she helped bring the PNC to power?

There is so much Amna said that cannot be published. But as she spoke many things broke my heart. I never sought membership in a political party because I know an organisation can become a monster and one day it will devour its children. It has devoured Amna.

Where does the PNC go from here after the exodus of David Granger, Joseph Harmon, Amna Ally and the many others that helped to shape the PNC the past 40 years? One intriguing question I will leave with you. If Norton was the radical maverick he was supposed to be, then how come he openly fought Desmond Hoyte and Robert Corbin was so silent during the Granger Presidency? I think Norton’s reign will be the shortest for any PNC leader.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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