Aubrey to Faaiz; et tu Brute?

Jan 12, 2023 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

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Kaieteur News – Mr. Mursaline resigned from the post of treasurer from the PNC and made two damning statements about the PNC leader and the PNC party itself, both of which has damaged the credibility and electoral prospects of the PNC.

The first revelation is that he was signing blank checks. He is quoted in the press as saying:“I do not know what are the amounts of money written on any of those cheques and I don’t know for what reasons the money, if any, was spent on,”

If Mr. Mursaline statement is factual then the PNC has committed a depraved act of financial skullduggery. The treasurer of an organization has to know why he/she is signing the check and what it is for. That is basic to the role of a treasurer.

It is a problematic situation for the treasurer if the party leader presents him/her with a black check. After all, that is the leader making the request. But such a position is fraught with danger for the leader.

One is the leader is making a demand on the treasurer, a high-level executive of the party, without transparency attached. It means that the leader is vulnerable to attacks from the treasurer if the treasurer is in a faction that opposes the continuation of the leader.

The other factor is that if word gets out that that a party that wants to form the government and that criticizes the incumbents is not engaged in financial openness then credibility runs into trouble. This is what is happening right now to the PNC.

The second revelation by Mr. Mursaline is that he faced racial hostility in the PNC. Both statements have damaged the PNC and to add gasoline to fire, Mr. Mursaline has renounced his resignation as treasurer and the PNC has accepted his return. Both the PNC and Mr. Mursaline have to know that few people will accept such a comical situation which will not strengthen the image of Messrs. Mursaline and Norton.

Mr. Mursaline’s reversal of his attitude was not about a disagreement about a policy or some random incident. What Mr. Mursaline said was extremely damaging and no return to his post will help him with his future credibility. In fact, it is best the PNC let Mr. Mursaline go and Mr. Mursaline should leave politics. There are no alternatives.

First, Mursaline has earned the wrath of the Norton cabal. That group will barely tolerate him. Secondly, and more importantly, Mursaline will never ever be trusted by the PNC’s hierarchy again. If fact, one can conclude that Mursaline will become a figure of hate in the PNC’s war room

The distrust will run deeply because (1), Mr. Mursaline in 2020 welcomed the PPP return to power and did expressed confidence in the PPP. (2), what he did to the PNC with his two revelations. No matter how much PNC leaders laugh with Mursaine, the die is cast – he will never be emotionally welcomed back in the PNC.

Secondly, Guyanese will either laugh at Mursaline or hate him. Based on his behavior, one cannot see how Mursaline will be an asset to politics and what ethnic or electoral advantage he will bring. People will not even entertain a discussion with Mr. Mursalin muchless seek to embrace what political message he has to offer.

Always on the front-burner of their minds is the pappy show of him berating Norton for his aloof style of leadership, he, Mursaline acquiesce to signing black checks and his accusations of anti-Indian feelings in the PNC then running back to the PNC. Even if Mursaline leaves the PNC because he is damaged goods I doubt any other party would have him.

It is the circumstance that led to the cancellation of his resignation that will cause Guyanese to laugh or despise him. He did not have a dialogue with the PNC’s central committee so they persuade him to change his mind. He did not have a dialogue with a group of former party elders who watch over the PNC.

He changed his mind on Monday when the day before he spoke to me on the phone. What caused him to reverse himself? A meeting with the PNC leader. So what Mr. Norton could have said to Mursaline to cause him to return to the treasurer post?

The contents of that information have no relevance anymore. Both Norton and Mursaline have lost credibility in the eyes of PNC supporters and the nation. I think it would be best for Mursaline to exit politics. As for Norton, I predicted the knives would have been out for him. Et tu Brute?

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

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• Freddie Kissoon, Mr. Mursaline, Norton, PNC, PPP

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