Is PNCR laying the foundation to boycott the elections?

Nov 10, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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…Peeping Tom

Kaieteur News- In politics, it’s the quiet signals—those unmistakable nudges and gestures—that betray a party’s intentions long before any official declaration. Today, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) appears to be broadcasting an unusual set of clues.

They seem to be bracing not for a victory but for a hasty retreat. The signs are beginning to suggest that they may be laying the groundwork for a withdrawal from the 2025 general and regional elections.

Outside the offices of Guyana’s Elections Commission (GECOM), protestors have recently gathered. They are brandishing familiar demands: a call for a new voters’ list. It’s an old refrain, echoing through election cycles. But it often signals one thing—a stalling tactic.

To those seasoned in political observation, such demands are less about electoral reform and more about hesitation. It’s a cry from the PNCR, perhaps to mask a lack of readiness to face the daunting prospect of an election they may fear losing convincingly.

And yet, the list alone is not where the protests end. The PNCR has also been engaged in a subtle but undeniable campaign to question GECOM’s impartiality and independence. The organization has, of course, been under scrutiny before—this is the natural rhythm of any election season—but this time, the tone feels less like a rallying call for fairness and more like a preparation for an excuse.

These complaints echo loudly, and yet, they feel hollow. What lies beneath seems to be a creeping awareness of vulnerability, a dawning fear that this election could lead to a defeat so sound that it would shatter the party’s longstanding leadership and possibly alter its future forever.

Consider, too, the PNCR’s recent call for fingerprint verification in the voting process. It’s a measure that sounds, on paper, like a reasonable step toward electoral integrity. But in practice, it’s a proposal that requires slow and careful implementation.

Introducing fingerprint verification to a sprawling voter base is no small feat; it would demand a phased approach that simply isn’t feasible by 2025. To propose it now, so late in the game, suggests not a genuine concern for election security but a strategy of delay. It’s a sign, perhaps, of a party peering over the edge of a cliff and hesitating, wondering if stepping forward might mean an irreparable fall.

But the most telling indicator of the PNCR’s predicament lies in the question of financing. In the world of politics, money is not just power; it’s survival. The business class in Guyana, like that in many other democracies, has long played both sides, investing in each party to safeguard against political risk. This practical calculus ensures that the backers remain winners, regardless of which party assumes office.

However, recent history suggests that the PNCR may no longer be the safe bet it once was. Financial backers are pragmatic creatures, and the PNCR’s waning popularity has not gone unnoticed.

In the last local government elections, the PNCR’s campaign was a shadow of its former self. There were no grand rallies, no massive crowds. The party’s decision not to contest in several areas seemed less a strategic move and more a surrender to financial constraints. Their campaigns were subdued, nearly invisible, casting doubt on their ability to muster resources for a full-blown general election. If the PNCR could not rally sufficient funds for local elections, it’s hard to imagine them staging an effective, spirited fight on the larger national stage.

And we cannot ignore the specter of the 2020 election, the aftermath of which left the PNCR bruised and battered, not only in the eyes of the electorate but also among its financiers. The events of that year—marked by allegations of tampering, claims of rigging, and a lingering distrust—left a sour aftertaste for those who typically support the party.

Now, as the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) reasserts itself, there are whispers that they may be quietly pressuring the business community to withhold financing from the PNCR, reinforcing the notion that their continued support for a damaged party might risk future retribution.

With the groundwork laid out so plainly—the demands for delays, the financing challenges, the erosion of support—it appears the PNCR may well be readying itself for a retreat, an absence in the electoral fray that would echo loudly across the landscape of Guyanese politics. As the elections approach, it seems increasingly likely that, rather than face a loss that could break their spirit and their standing, the PNCR might choose not to contest at all, sidestepping an election that could be, in every sense, their Waterloo.

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

(Is PNCR laying the foundation to boycott the elections?)

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• election season, Guyana’s Elections Commission, Organization, Peeping Tom, PNCR

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