Latest update March 27th, 2026 12:40 AM
Mahipaul refutes claims PNC in bed with PPP
─ says party will not tolerate WIN’s attacks
(Kaieteur News) – Accusing the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) of being on an undisguised mission to maim his party, People’s National Congress (PNC) executive member, Ganesh Mahipaul said his party does not take too kindly any attacks from WIN, a rising force in Guyana’s political arena.
PNC executive member, Ganesh Mahipaul
The tit-for-tat stemmed from last Friday, when Regional Democratic Councils across the country held swearing-in ceremonies for councilors, including regional chairs and vice-chairs.
In Region Eight, the PPP emerged with the chairmanship, after the APNU councilor voted in its favor. In Region Ten, where WIN outperformed all other contenders with nine seats, the PPP with three seats, APNU with five, and Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) with one, voted against the Azruddin Mohamed-led WIN creating an impasse that must now be settled by Minister of Local Government, Priya Manickchand, who will determine between WIN’s Mark Goring and APNU’s Dominique Blair for regional chair.
Irked by these shocking developments, particularly after being optimistic of securing chairmanship in Region Ten, WIN officials ventilated their frustrations through social media. Mohamed alleged that the PPP and APNU came together to blackball the newcomer.
The PNC-led APNU has since been warding off the label of “sellouts” by sections of society.
“There was no agreement, none whatsoever, with the People’s Progressive Party. That’s a total lie,” Mahipaul refuted, in response to WIN’s claims of a strategic collusion with his party and the incumbent.
The politician highlighted what he perceives as a negative motive on the part of WIN, and on a live programme on Facebook, stated, “It is quite clear that the We Invest in Nationhood political party has one agenda, and that is to destroy the PNC. We will not tolerate that.”
He explained that once individuals take the oath of office at the RDC, they officially become councilors, but owing to the immediate absence of a chairman or vice-chairman, the clerk of council (Regional Executive Officer) has authority to determine any question, but is without voting power.
The REO of Region Four, he explained, should have put the matter of the voting process for the chairman and vice-chairman to the council where the majority would form the decision. Instead, the REO, Donald Gajraj, called for a secret ballot, consequent to which, the PPP’s Clemsford Belgrave and Deoraj Nauth nabbed both the chairman and vice-chairman posts, the former obtaining 18 votes and Nauth securing 17. APNU’s nominee, Shanika Haynes, came out short as her bid for both posts garnered 8 and 11 respectively. The WIN camp confirmed submission of blank ballots in the process.
Mahipaul strengthened his assertions of non-conspiracy with the historic unfolding of Region Four.
“It is ludicrous for anybody to conclude that there was some arrangement with the PNC and PPP, because if such was the case, then we would have been sitting probably as vice-chairman. We would have had the vice-chairmanship of the region. We don’t. And we don’t have the chairman because WIN decided that they are going to not participate…that is why we are in the predicament we find ourselves in. And to try to paint it in all sorts of language does not take away from the fact that you withdrew your participation.”
In Region Four, the PPP gathered 17 regional seats. APNU retained 9, WIN obtained 8, and the FGM earned 1. In order to control that Region, the opposition parties needed to merge their votes, which would see them gaining a one-seat majority over the PPP.
The APNU executive disclosed those prior discussions with his party and WIN proposed the chairmanship of Region Four to APNU, while the second top spot would go to WIN. FGM would have been given the chairmanship of the region’s public works committee. In Regions Eight and Ten, a reversed setup would have given WIN the chairmanship, and APNU the vice-chairmanship.
He reasoned that the secrecy of the voting process does not confirm that it was any member of his party that voted with the PPP. He lamented the lack of cooperation with the opposition parties at the level of the RDC, stating that combined, they could have been in control of Regions Four, Eight and 10.
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