Hopeful of early PNC Congress

Nov 17, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

Supporters of the Opposition People’s National Congress (PNC) are hopeful that their party will hold its bi-annual Congress sooner rather than the due date in December according to a survey conducted by this writer for NACTA. The party last held Congress in mid-December 2021. The Congress is constitutionally due by end of this year. But no date has been fixed for it with the party going into a general council session this weekend.

Although he might not bring it to the forefront, party supporters appear bent on forcing incumbent leader Aubrey Norton on holding of a Congress that is due in a month.

Norton is very unpopular among the PNC base and will go down to defeat in a leadership contest as well as against a popular President. Overwhelming number of supporters of the PNC tell interviewers of NACTA’s ongoing tracking opinion poll that they would like for their party to hold a Congress at the earliest so that delegates can either revalidate the current leadership and executive or choose a new leader and executive body to prepare the party for general elections due by August 2025. Opinion surveys conducted last October and August found widespread support for holding of a PNC Congress among Guyanese supporters of all political parties. The current November tracking survey and earlier opinion polls thru last June found Norton losing support among traditional PNC voters. If a general election were called now and he is the PNC Presidential candidate, he will go down to defeat to incumbent Irfaan Ali. It is a worrisome concern for supporters of the opposition. The PNC, under Norton trails the PPP ‘Inder’ Irfaan in popular support. And whenever Congress is held, Norton will go down to a landslide defeat to Roysdale Forde if there is no other challenger. He will also lose to Amanza Walton-Desir in a one-to-one contest. The PPP will face a stupider contest against a new PNC or APNU leader.

Asked if the PNC should hold its Congress, 93% of traditional PNC supporters of 184 interviewed said it should be held when due or earlier. Voters, including supporters of other parties and independents, were also queried on Norton’s leadership and other issues. Supporters of other parties are concerned about the weakness of the opposition. The findings on other issues will be released in another report.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram

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Aubrey Norton, NACTA, opposition, People's National Congress (PNC), Vishnu Bisram

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