In his first major address as head of the PNCR, Aubrey Norton today lavished praise on the late former President and Leader, Desmond Hoyte and adverting to the country’s oil wealth, he said the party will impress upon society the “need for new governance mechanisms to ensure the people of Guyana benefit from our national resources”.
He did not expand on what those new governance mechanism could be.
Speaking at the Seven Ponds, Botanical Gardens on Hoyte’s 19th death anniversary, Norton told his audience that he considers his election on Saturday to be an indication that the party’s constituents want a “vigorous response” to any corrupt intentions of the PPP/C government to squander the country’s patrimony through reckless spending and bloated contracts.
Norton, who replaced former President David Granger as leader of the party in last Saturday’s elections, praised Hoyte’s legacy.
“No one would doubt that when Mr. Hoyte left office in 1992, he had placed Guyana on a clear path to development. Do not take my word for it. Mr Hoyte’s achievements are recorded in international prestigious reports of some of the major international financial institutions. An example is the Inter-American Development Bank. This is what the Bank said that Desmond Hoyte and the PNC accomplished in 1991 at a time when the global economic system had ravaged our open economy:
`Guyana is clearly on the road to Global recovery… there are sufficient lines in the banking system… the majority of the State Enterprises have been privatized … rice production and commercialization have been liberalized. Private Sector Enterprises, both national and international have been appearing more and more, with important investment in the mining sector; forestry and industrial activities. The construction industry is visibly reactivated.’”
Norton, a former PNC General Secretary, added “Clearly, Mr. Hoyte has to be credited with liberalizing the Guyanese economy and opening new opportunities for the private sector. It was clearly the intention of then President Hoyte to see the entire private sector expanding and being represented while contributing to the development of the Guyanese economy”.
In another attack on the current Private Sector Commission, Norton said “Unfortunately, this wide concept of the private sector has been reduced to the Private Sector Commission which is not at all reflective of the Guyanese private sector. It is my sincere hope that we move towards a wider more representative private sector rather than one that is politically affiliated and purporting to represent the private sector in Guyana. The private sector involves all businesses operating in Guyana. Private sector institutions should reflect this reality”.
Norton, who had had a rocky relationship with Hoyte, asserted that the action taken by Hoyte led the World Bank to conclude that, “`No country has come so far, so fast.’ The international community clearly acknowledged his contribution to the development of Guyana. The foregoing should dispel the notion that the PNC destroyed the economy. As I long as I am Leader of this Party these myths will be vigorously debunked”.
Norton, whose party has been severely criticised over the five-month attempt to rig the March 2nd, 2020 general elections, contended that the Economic Recovery Programme which was responsible for the rise of the national economy was inherited by the PPP in 1992 but was mismanaged as by 1998 Guyana would record negative growth rates.
Norton said that Hoyte did not only have successes in the economic realm but recognized the importance of building institutions that were independent of political control and domination. In this regard, Norton said that he appointed professional persons as Permanent Secretaries and developed an independent public service. This was a significant development for Guyana, Norton added.
“It should also be noted that he penned a letter to his Ministers and Permanent Secretaries directing them to allow public servants to operate as professionals and not as political operatives. He implored on his Ministers the need to not override public servants. He further stated that if a Minister felt he was correct in what he was doing he instructed the public servants to ask them to put it in writing. Mr. Hoyte must be credited with insulating the public service from political interference. Unfortunately, the PPP came to power in 1992, victimized and politicized the public service ending the new vistas that were opened for good governance. Here too, they seem to be on the road to destruction once more”, Norton stated.
He also lauded Hoyte for the creation of the Guyana Prize for Literature which has been abandoned in recent years including by the former APNU+AFC coalition of which the PNCR is the major component.
“After 1992, the PNC faced some serious and formidable challenges. Indeed, some of our critics wondered if we could survive. But as a result of hard work among our people and by forging major regional and international alliances, Mr. Hoyte rallied the PNC and left us a legacy we can be proud of. Like any leader he has made mistakes but his achievements cannot be questioned.
“The effort was so effective that at the 1997 elections we recorded possibly our highest percentage of votes. I recall these times. They were trying and in the search for solutions there were differences of opinion, on tactics and strategy. But as a Party, we transcended those problems and became stronger”, Norton stated.
He stated that he will be advised by the Central Executive Committee of the party and others who wish to see the PNCR prosper and succeed.
“Our Party is going to practice inclusive governance and implore on the society the need for new governance mechanisms to ensure the people of Guyana benefit from our national resources”, Norton said.
