Aubrey Norton yesterday said that he will seek guidance from the party’s executive as to whether to seek an audience with President Irfaan Ali and for the second day running, the new PNCR leader talked tough on pressuring the government and the elections commission on key issues.
“I would not want to comment on that at this moment. I have to meet with the Central Executive Committee (CEC) and when we make a decision that will guide me in the direction we need to go,” Norton, who secured a landslide victory in the contest for top party position, last night told Stabroek News. This newspaper had asked if he will recognise President Ali and seek an audience with him.
Norton had been vocal during last year’s election recount on the number of discrepancies in the process and had accused the PPP/C of bloating the voters list in a bid to fix the elections results in its favour.
His party which is a part of APNU+AFC coalition has publicly declared that it will not recognise the Ali administration as the legitimate government.
Leader of the Opposition, Joseph Harmon has not been invited to engage with Ali as he has not recognised the results of the general election.
Having secured 967 votes compared to 245 for Harmon and 64 for Richard Van West-Charles at the party’s elections on Saturday, Norton and his newly elected team were officially installed yesterday during a ceremony at Congress Place, Sophia.
Norton will be supported by newly-elected Chairman Shurwayne Holder, Vice Chairman Elizabeth Williams Niles and treasurer Mohammed Faaiz Mursalin along with a General Secretary to be named and another Vice Chairman. The second vice chairman post will have to be decided on by the party as two persons tied for this post.
According to Norton, the party will name a General Secretary after consultations within the CEC. He posited that his criteria for a General Secretary is someone who possesses skills in administration and management, is people oriented and can be easily approached.
Former GDF Chief of Staff Gary Best, who secured the highest number of votes, Parliamentary Chief Whip, Christopher Jones and another former GDF Chief of Staff Edward Collins along with Members of Parliament Amanza Walton Desir, Annette Ferguson Dawn Hastings, Ganesh Mahipaul, Geeta Chandan-Edmond Jermaine Figueira and Hazel Pile Lewis, Kirk Fraser, Reyaz Roopnarine, Samuel Sandy, and Troy Garraway make up the new-look CEC.
Overwhelmed by emotion and fighting back tears in his inaugural speech as Leader, Norton said he intends to return to the grassroots and meet with all Guyanese to ensure their issues are heard and represented. “I want to promise you that I will make this party, a grassroots party, a party for all Guyanese and of all ethnic groups. It is the kind of party we desire. I want to work with this executive to transform this party into a permanent election campaign machinery…” Norton said, emphasising that he intends to “stand up and represent our people.”
Norton in the same breath reiterated that he will move forward with inclusive leadership and said that persons irrespective of which slate they campaigned on will be welcome to work with him.
“I do not want to hear in our party that somebody was against Norton and that person was excluded…the elections are over and we should move forward…I also want to indicate to the party that I promised inclusiveness and that the party constitution provides for advisors to be appointed…We will govern this party together, we will work together,” he underscored.
As he congratulated Dr Richard Van West-Charles, who also campaigned for Leader of the Party, for a “good” performance at the biennial congress over the weekend, he announced that Van West-Charles will function as an advisor to the leadership of the Party. Former Chairman of the Party and stalwart, Volda Lawrence was also named as an advisor.
Norton used the opportunity to explain that he is currently engaged in talks with Leader of the Opposition, Harmon, who had also campaigned for the top post in the party. Analysts believe that Norton will move at the earliest opportunity to be named Leader of the Opposition. A number of steps will be required to achieve this.
Noting that he is prepared to work with every section of civil society, Norton used the opportunity to rap the Private Sector Commission (PSC), labelling it “politically biased.”
He stated that from reports he has received he has concluded that the PSC does not fully represent the needs and interest of its membership. “As a party, we will struggle for a private sector that is genuinely a private sector and not a Commission that reflects narrow interests,” he added.
Norton went on to charge that the PSC is politically partisan. He said however that he is prepared to meet and engage with it.
“I want it to be made clear; we are not anti-private sector. In fact, we believe the private sector should act as a civil society, independently pursuing the interest of the private sector…I will meet with the PSC but when I meet with the PSC, we will discuss the situation and see where we go from there. I believe a political party should be in contact with all civil society,” he said.
Norton also reiterated that their fight on national political issues includes their strongest objections to the proposed changes in the Natural Resources Fund Bill, where the PPP/C has proposed a board of Directors for oversight purposes rather than a 22-member committee as the APNU+AFC administration had recommended.
He stated, too, that they will be calling for the removal of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, retired Justice Claudette Singh SC and the recently appointed Chief Election Officer Vishnu Persaud, who Norton said is not qualified for the post.
“We have to carry the political struggle and our first struggle will be for a new voters list. We cannot go to an election without a new voters list. It has been a basis by which a government was installed and we have to uninstall them and that process must begin with. a new voters list”. Norton also used his inaugural address to thank his predecessor David Granger for the 10 years he served in the position. Granger was absent from the 21st congress on Saturday due to medical reasons.
The party leader also thanked Vincent Alexander for performing the task of the Chief Elections Officer and others who worked to ensure their internal elections were democratically executed.
Central Executive Committee:
One hundred and twenty-three persons contested for positions on the fifteen (15) members Central Executive Committee. Those elected are:
Gary Best – 618
Christopher Jones – 586
Jermaine Figuiera – 536
Edward Collins – 521
Dawn Hastings-Williams – 484
Geeta Chandan-Edmond – 445
Hazel Pyle-Lewis – 406
Kirk Fraser – 362
Samuel Sandy – 351
Amanza Walton-Desir – 350
Ganesh Mahipaul – 326
Coretta McDonald – 317
Troy Garraway – 301
Riaz Roopnaraine – 289
Annette Ferguson – 272
Only Best, Jones and Collins have been retained from the previous CEC.
Ten more members of the Central Executive will be co-opted, five by the Party Leader and five by the Central Executive Committee respectively and this is likely to be done when the Executive holds its first formal meeting. Further, each of the eleven Party Regions is entitled to elect one representative from their region to sit on the Central Executive Committee.
