Carl Greenidge, one of the two people vying for the position of Leader of the PNCR, is adamant that the party must be strengthened if it is to withstand the onslaught of government excesses and atrocities, which he said was reflected in the slaying of three persons on Wednesday during demonstrations in Linden.
Further, Greenidge is making a case that division of labour would be better for the party, since it would be a monumental task managing the job of Leader of the PNCR, Leader of the Opposition and Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity, of which the PNCR is the major political constituent in a nine-party partnership.
“My campaign focuses on the need to have leadership of the PNCR dedicated primarily to rejuvenating the party, leadership that is not distracted by the demands of coordinating the efforts of the components of the APNU or of bringing the APNU and AFC in line to confront the PPP,” he told a news conference at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday. It was a dig against his main rival in the race at the PNCR’s upcoming congress, David Granger, who has indicated that he wishes to consolidate the positions of Leader of the PNCR and Leader of the Opposition.
Greenidge said the Linden atrocities are exactly the reason why the opposition needs to be strengthened and this is what he is promising should he emerge victorious at the Congress, which runs from July 27 to July 29.
He said whatever action the government takes, the Minister of Home Affairs and his Cabinet colleagues will be held accountable for the actions of the Guyana Police Force. “Firing on unarmed civilians without warning is recognised by the UN as a crime and no Guyanese would have missed the attitude of the international community to such behaviour by the police and armed forces of the governments such as Syria and Libya. It is a source of pride that in the recent past the security forces have shown great restraint in the face of rioting crowds in Lusignan and the Corentyne to the extent that not a single life was lost although ministers were attacked and attempts made to burn down government buildings. It is a shame that the demonstrations in Linden could not be properly handled by the police,” he said.
“The murder of citizens, protesting what has yet to be demonstrated as a justifiable hike in electricity tariffs, is part of a studied campaign of the government to suppress, at the first opportunity with maximum force, the threat of any criticism of government and its policies by citizens the PPP regards as sympathetic to the opposition. Hence the silly resort to blaming the APNU and AFC for the incident,” he said.
Greenidge said such routine disregard for the lives of citizens is unacceptable.
He said too that the opposition parties must be as strong as possible in the face of government’s disregard for its citizens as Linden demonstrated.
While there may be challenges in the staging of the Congress, Greenidge said it will be an opportunity to carve a more powerful role for the PNCR and to strengthen the movement against the abuses of power by the PPP/C government. A strengthened PNCR, he added, can bolster its influence in A Partnership for National Unity.
“On Sunday July 29, 2012, PNCR delegates attending the 17th Biennial Congress will be electing an executive to handle the party’s affairs over the next two years,” he noted. “The current leader of the party has announced his decision to stand down after a decade at the helm.
At one level, the election will affect two things: the strength of the PNCR and its influence within APNU; the decision of the party will determine whether and how quickly it can organize itself to confront the challenges of removing a government that routinely abuses its power as demonstrated by the recent incident in Linden.”
Greenidge said there is recognition of the need to raise the profile of the party and hence his platform of change that he hopes to implement as leader. He is seeking to make the party more militant and proactive.
He said his intention is to rejuvenate the party with an infusion of young blood.
He spoke of the need of the PNCR to focus more time and effort in combating violence against women and domestic abuse in Guyana and added that any political party worth its salt cannot ignore such issues.
Greenidge said there is a need for the party to strengthen its links with the labour movement and non-state actors and also strengthen its research capabilities.
“These elections offer party members the opportunity to make important changes. I am offering a platform that I think would lead us into [a path of] rapid, peaceful and fruitful development,” he said.
Commenting on some of the issues that characterised the special election early last year will not mar the upcoming elections. “The challenge is to see to what extent at the operational level and flaws may be addressed,” he said.
Greenidge said APNU is currently facing the challenges of working with the AFC in a National Assembly where they have a single seat majority. “At the same time they face a government which sees dialogue as a device for diversion and procrastination and acceptance of a recommendation to change policies as proof of weakness.
The attitude of the President in treating a PPP minority as the only legitimate majority and the majority as an abomination which is legitimate is proof of that dilemma. The parties have yet to surmount this challenge,” he said.
He noted that the while APNU is not a political party in its own right, a decision to change that could be taken in the future. “In the interim, and even beyond, the PNCR will need to equip itself to be the main pillar of the APNU with the capacity to mobilize and raise awareness,” he said.
