The Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is expected to meet “soon” to examine a study to determine how soon the party will host its overdue 21st Biennial Delegates’ Congress this year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, party leader David Granger said on Friday.
“What I can say about congress is that the only reason congress has not been held so far is because of the pandemic and right now there is a study going on and the Central Executive Committee is going to meet soon to examine that study as to how soon it will be feasible to have congress given the COVID pandemic,” Granger said in a video statement released by the PNCR.
According to Granger, the party will not be breaching any of the COVID-19 guidelines to keep congress.
As a result, he said if the CEC decides for congress to be held, it must be done in compliance with the law.
“Right now there is enforcement of COVID measures and there are legal sanctions to be applied to persons who assemble in defiance of those measures. So we are not living in a dream world. We are living in a real world and there are laws and we will comply with the laws. But at the same time we have a constitution, the PNC wants to have congress at the earliest time,” Granger explained.
He also denied claims that he has been “running” from a challenge of his leadership of the PNC.
“…There is no running away from the fact that we must have congress. The only reason we didn’t have congress last year, 2020, which was two years after the last Congress was held in 2018, was because of general elections and it was a decision of the Central Executive Committee to postpone congress,” the former president said.
“I have been in four congresses in the PNC…….I was elected first as presidential candidate. I was elected as leader of the party in 2012 and re-elected in 2014. I was reelected in 2016 and 2018. So I don’t have to run from congress,” he added.
The last Congress provided a significant upset when long time party Chair Basil Williams was roundly defeated by current Chair Volda Lawrence, who is seen as a potential contender for the post of leader.
In securing the chairmanship, Lawrence secured 346 votes against Joseph Harmon’s 287 and Williams received 183 votes.
Granger was returned unopposed as leader.
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 APNU+AFC coalition’s current parliamentary lineup. The PNCR is the main constituent of APNU+AFC.
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 and other longstanding members in favour of Harmon, who is now Leader of the Opposition.
Ally, the party’s General Secretary, had told Stabroek News last month that 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,” she had said.
