In his last address as People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, David Ganger yesterday called for unity within the party, which he said has had a long history of revolt by persons who chose to put themselves above its interests.
Granger made observation in a video address to the party’s 21st Biennial Delegates Congress as he was in Cuba for medical care.
“The Party was afflicted by factionalism from its first year of existence in 1958. Some persons seem-ed not to accept that the ‘Party’ was more important than any ‘personality; that they were elected to office not to satisfy their private hunger for wealth or their personal passion for power but to serve the people who they represented. The Party has a sad record of revolt,” Granger said during his prerecorded statement.
Granger, who was not nominated for the post of leader again, has been faced with a barrage of criticisms over his leadership of the party, including from the PNCR’s Central Executive Committee (CEC), as it relates to his actions following its defeat under the APNU+AFC coalition at the March 2020 polls. He has been accused of hijacking the party’s processes and back in July, the CEC said it would not allow him to turn the PNCR into a “one man show”.
Granger told the Con-gress that the PNCR can achieve much by changing its political culture by suppressing schisms and factionalism for the common good.
Granger, who centred his address on the congress’s theme “Learning from the Past, Conquering the Future Together,” said that while change is continuous, progress is impossible without change. He added that performance cannot be improved by repeating unrealistic remedies. “Change is arduous and will not occur by chance. People who cannot change their attitudes and conduct will never change anything,” he warned.
Highlighting the theme of change, Granger reminded that PNCR’s founder Forbes Burnham was the champion of change as he transitioned Guyana from a “backward colony into an advanced republic”. He also pointed to Burnham’s address in 1975 to the first Biennial Delegates’ Congress, where he warned of the danger of factionalism by highlighting it denotes anti-party sentiments and is aimed at weakening the structure of the party.
He also referenced long-time PNCR leader Desmond Hotye’s final congress address in 2002, where he used the word ‘change’ 21 times.
“Desmond Hoyte’s emphasis on change of the Party’s political culture was not misplaced. He understood as the Founder-Leader did a generation earlier, that change was a necessary condition for the Party’s progress and the people’s happiness but it should not be exploited as an instrument of self-enrichment or self-aggrandisement.
“Jai Narine Singh, the first General Secretary, allowed personal and political ambition to smother Party allegiance. He broke away to form the Guianese Independence Movement party. Sidney King, (later Eusi Kwayana), also a former General Secretary, broke from the PNC in 1961 and helped to establish the Working People’s Alliance party. Hamilton Green, another former General Secretary, broke from the Party in 1993 and established the Good and Green for Guyana party. Raphael Trotman, an elected PNC Member of Parliament, broke from the Party in 2005 and established the Alliance For Change party,” Granger said.
He accused those parties of “wounding their ‘mother’ party” while calling on PNCR members to realise the need for their rededication to the development of the people.
He also said that Congress should teach the lessons of the Party’s past rifts and the excruciating experiences of its leaders.
“Congress’ task, in this decade, is to sustain solidarity by knitting groups together, not splitting them apart; by building up, not breaking down; by multiplying membership – not dividing and subtracting – thereby promoting public trust in the Party,” Granger posited.
Ever since the passage of the December 21, 2018 passage of the no-confidence motion against the then Granger-led government, members of the PNCR have been accusing him of not being a true leader. Granger led the APNU+AFC coalition to the March 2020 polls and it was there that internal revolt allegedly intensified in the PNCR.
Granger and then Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo agreed to a national recount of votes after senior officials of the Guy-ana Elections Commission (GECOM) were accused of working with the coalition to alter the results of the elections. The recount process showed that the PPP/C won the seat of government and ousted Granger and his team.
His next move is what some described as the final nail of his leadership coffin since he unilaterally appointed Joseph Harmon as Leader of the Opposition and curated a list of Members of Parliament without the party’s input. He excluded party leaders such as outgoing Chair Volda Lawrence, Basil Williams, Carl Greenidge and others whose supporters have since formed themselves into groups.
New road, renewed leadership
In her brief address to the Congress, outgoing Chairperson Volda Lawrence posited that it is time the PNCR takes a new road with renewed leadership.
“Our great party after 64 years, must now take a new road with new and renewed leadership as we pass the baton to the next generation of leaders. This party is no stranger to changes and continues to demonstrate its capacity to lead and remain relevant,” she said.
The Party Chair told members that while the PNCR will continue being a refuge for the disadvantaged, the discriminated and the neglected, it has also given birth to other political parties with a similar history. She added that the spirit of togetherness with their coalition partners is what led them to the seat of power in 2015.
Lawrence posited that the Congress not only deepens the party’s democracy but also allows for greater participation at all levels
“The large number of young persons vying for positions at this Congress demonstrates that our party can rejuvenate itself and is rejuvenating itself, which our democratic process has facilitated. It is us that the nation is looking towards to bring about political change and return to government. It is us that the international community is looking towards to bring about political change in this great country of ours,” Lawrence said.
She thanked the members for their commitment and service to the party while reminding them that her decision not to contenst the elections does not translate to her exit from the PNCR. When the PNCR held its nominations day on November 12, Lawrence received nods to serve as Party Leader, Chairperson and Vice-Chair but she declined running, citing personal reasons.
“I am also excited at the renewed and heightened interest by our members in our Congress and the Central Executive Committee of our great Party. There is no doubt that our party is revitalized. I wish all of our candidates well and trust that they recognize that at the end of this democratic process… we, the People’s National Congress Reform, will harness all our energies towards returning to government and continue the pursuit of a good life for all our people,” she said.
The PNCR’s 21st Biennial Delegates Congress opened at 9:30am yesterday with Lawrence’s address. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is being held using a hybrid method with delegates being the only attendees. There are 13 locations in the 10 Administrative Regions and where more than 3000 delegates cast their votes for Party Leader, Chairperson, 2 Vice-Chairs, Treasurer and members of the Central Executive Committee.
