The National Secretary for the youth arm of the PNCR has vowed to renounce the party over verbal abuse he has suffered at the hands of fellow group members for supporting Aubrey Norton’s aborted leadership campaign
“I’m resigning completely from the party, I don’t see myself making an impact in the PNC anymore,” Adel Lily declared yesterday, even as the head of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) said whatever verbal repercussions Lily suffered were likely the result of inappropriate comments he posted on his Facebook page.
On Sunday, Lily said several members of the GYSM told him that he was a supporter of the Peoples Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) because he was a supporter of Norton’s challenge to David Granger’s leadership of the PNCR.
Stabroek News is informed that the aforementioned insult was motivated by a cartoon published in Sunday’s edition of the Kaieteur News, which suggested that the PPP/C was supportive of Norton’s leadership bid.
“Aubrey Norton has spent years working for the party and to see the members of the GYSM promoting propaganda that he is a member of the PPP and other nonsense which is not truth,” said Lily.
He declined to state the names of his alleged abusers but said senior executive members of the GYSM took part 
in the name calling. He added that it was unfortunate that he was being treated in this manner after being a member of the party for seven years, including five in which he has been an active member. He also said that he has served as GYSM’s national secretary, and by virtue and executive member of the PNCR, for approximately three years.
GYSM Chairman and PNCR Executive Christopher Jones yesterday said that he did not know if any abuse was meted out to Lily but added that it would be unfortunate if he was indeed verbally abused. Jones nevertheless speculated that any such abuse would more than likely have been a result of inappropriate statements Lily made on his Facebook page in recent days.
Noting that Lily was a supporter of Norton for leader, Jones said that while any member of the party and by extension GYSM is free to support whoever they favour for the party’s leadership, Lily crossed boundaries when he proceeded to publicly defame Granger’s character.
In one post, Lily attached a comment cloud to Granger’s face that read, “Hehehe! Yes PNCR is all about rigging and controversy. How you think I’m still here.” In the comments on the post which followed, Lily was asked the reason for his statements seeing that he was “celebrating the birth of (Granger) a few years ago,” to which he replies, “It was a mistake….” In another instance, Lily posted: “I, Adel Lily endorsed Aubrey Norton for Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform…” In the comments which followed, he stated that “Granger is useless.” It is suggested that these comments might have provoked a backlash.
Jones said the GYSM has traditionally supported and campaigned on behalf of the standing leader of the party. He further said that the insulation of the image of the party’s leader is among the organisation’s most important responsibilities. Therefore, Jones concluded, it is possible that Lily’s comments would have upset other GYSM members. Further, Jones continued, tempers might have flared over Lily, who has benefited under Granger’s leadership, choosing to vent any grievances in the way he did.
Lily told reporters on Sunday that he saw similar abuses in 2012, when Carl Greenidge ran against Granger for the party’s reins, but he opted to voice his concerns internally, through the forums the party’s constitution provides.
“I have never said this publicly. I’ve dealt with it in the party and it continued to happen. The danger in this is that we talk in the party that matters like this should be addressed in the party internally but then you raise it there but it is not being addressed. What should persons do? Should we continue to be like cows with ropes in our nose and just being pulled around the place? No. It can’t happen,” an angry Lily said, before adding that the way he, Norton, and Norton’s supporters were treated has driven him to the conclusion that there is no future for him in the PNCR.
