The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which is the primary constituent of the main opposition coalition partner APNU, has made no decision on the scheduling of its 21st Biennial Delegates’ Congress, party General Secretary Amna Ally has said.
Ally told Stabroek News last Thursday that the Congress might not be held in 2021.
“I don’t know when that will be. We are in a pandemic…We have to have congress and ideally we would’ve had congress this year but with the pandemic we definitely can’t…our party is a lot of people and we can’t bring all those people into one place during this pandemic,” Ally explained.
Asked if any moves had been made to have the Congress held virtually or through a mixed media method, Ally said the party is considering.
“Right now, we are looking to see how best we can hold it. Whether we can do it this year, whether we can do it next year, whether it will be virtual or via face to face contact. It is due, we have to have it but because of the pandemic we are restrained,” she indicated.
Asked whether there is a timeline in place for a decision on the way forward, Ally said it depends on the pandemic.
“We are ready. It won’t take long to organize but it depends on the pandemic,” she maintained.
Ally’s statement echoed her position in October, 2020.
“There is a pandemic and the PNCR doesn’t want to hold a congress and gather hundreds of people in one location. We have a number of other considerations and the ongoing pandemic is a primary consideration,” Ally said at the time.
The last Congress provided a significant upset when long time party Chair Basil Williams was roundly defeated by current chair Volda Lawrence.
When the results of the elections for party posts were officially announced sometime after 12.30 am on August 19, 2018, Returning Officer Hewley Griffith declared Lawrence the winner and informed that she had secured 346 votes against Joseph Harmon’s 287 and Williams received 183 votes.
Lawrence had also secured one of the two vice-chair positions with 244 votes along with Annette Ferguson who got 260. However, given that she was the winner in the Chairmanship race, the 2nd position went to Dr George Norton, who got 242 votes.
Then President David Granger was returned unopposed as leader, while Ronald Bulkan was also returned as the Treasurer unopposed.
With Lawrence proving to be popular with the party’s base, which was evident during the 2020 campaign trail, it was expected that she would be a member of the coalition’s current parliamentary lineup.
Granger, however, did not select her for a seat in the National Assembly. In his position as representative of the APNU+AFC list, Granger snubbed Lawrence, Williams, Norton, Bulkan and General Secretary Amna Ally in favour of Harmon, who is now Leader of the Opposition.
