PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton was yesterday elected Chairman of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) after former President David Granger stepped down from the post but Norton appeared no closer to getting into Parliament and being anointed Leader of the Opposition.
In what was seen as a largely ceremonial move, Granger stood down as Chairman of APNU and Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon also resigned as General Secretary. However, as of this point, Granger remains the Representative of the APNU+AFC List and therefore holds the key to whether Norton gets into Parliament. In the meanwhile Harmon retains the post of the Leader of the Opposition and shows no sign of giving it up.
Norton said yesterday that his primary focus as Chairman of the APNU will be to create a coalition where everyone feels embraced and he will now endeavour to win back the faith of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and other parties that had given up on the grouping.
“As I understand it, I have been elected and we will meet and sort out whatever issues we have and work forward. I said in the meeting that we are committed to coalition politics and that all and sundry in the APNU will be able to contribute to what we are doing. Additionally, I would have reached out to the WPA and I will work with them and strengthen the APNU. I want to ensure a strong and united APNU; that is my objective,” he told Stabroek News following the meeting.
“I would like for them (WPA) to come back to the fold but I would have to discuss with them. I have started those discussions and together we will work forward,” he added.
A release from APNU said that present at the meeting were “Mr. David Granger, Chair of the APNU, Mr. Joseph Harmon, MP and General Secretary of the APNU, new elected Leader of the PNCR Mr. Aubrey Norton, Mr. Jaipaul Sharma of the Equal Rights and Justice Party, Mr. Vincent Henry of the Guyana Action Party, Mrs. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, MP of Guyana Nation Builders and Mr. Keith Scott of the National Front Alliance.
“The substantive agenda saw the passing of the baton for the continuation and development of coalition politics as Mr. David Granger and Mr. Joseph Harmon reported their decision to demit office as Chair and General Secretary of the APNU. The Exco requested that Mr. Joseph Harmon continues as General Secretary for a period of seven days to facilitate the smooth transition to a new General Secretary. However, Mr. David Granger demitted office with immediate effect paving the way for the election of a new Chair. (PNCR) leader Mr. Aubrey Norton was then elected Chair of the APNU. Members of the Executive thanked the outgoing Chair and General Secretary for their role in advancing the idea of the APNU to what it is today,” the release stated.
Norton said that at yesterday’s meeting when the issue of Harmon also leaving arose, he [Norton] asked for him to stay on during a transitionary process.
“I said I think we need some period of transition, and I think it was me who asked Mr. Harmon if he was prepared to stay on for a week and he said yes. I will meet with Mr. Harmon and we will work the way out and forward,” Norton said.
Norton said when APNU holds its first meeting under his leadership they will work out appointing a General Secretary. “I have to meet the parties and then we work it out,” he said.
Asked if he made mention of the Representative of the List issue, Norton said that the meeting was one about APNU and as such “we couldn’t discuss an APNU+AFC matter”.
Taking the process in stages, Norton said when he would have met with APNU and arranged a meeting with the AFC, the Representative of the List issue will be discussed to forge a way forward.
“I would have dealt with the APNU. The next stage is once we work out with the APNU, then we meet with the AFC , then we deal with APNU+AFC matters,” he said, noting that having a speedy resolution to a possible change in the Representative of the List “is not as straightforward as that”.
Thwarted
Despite having been elected overwhelmingly as leader of the PNCR – the major component of APNU – Norton has been thwarted in his ambitions to be Opposition Leader by Granger, the immediate past PNCR Leader and Harmon.
Talks between Granger and coalition partner, Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan ended on Monday with Granger informing that he will relinquish the post of Chairman of the APNU but not as Representative of the List of APNU+AFC.
Sources told this newspaper that Granger made a case on Monday to the leaders of the AFC for holding on to the position of Representative of the List by saying that he believes in holding true to agreements and that the coalition’s supporters would not want him deviating from that. This argument has been ridiculed by observers as for all intents and purposes the PNCR is APNU and Norton was elected at the PNCR’s December Congress with a big majority, defeating Harmon by a wide margin. Granger did not seek re-election at the Congress.
Yesterday, sources close to Granger registered their disquiet at criticism of the former president and calls for his stepping down as Representative of the APNU+AFC List.
One source said that Granger has based his adamant stance on holding on to the position saying that the law is not clear-cut about a Representative of the List giving up the post during the tenureship.
Another argument he has made was that the smaller parties hold more trust in him having the position and that “having a custodian Representative of List is nothing new because it was there in 2015 when (Professor Harold Lutchman) held the post.”
“He can be custodian until there is another election and there is nothing wrong with that. It has happened before and the former President has a valid point,” the source said.
Lutchman has told this newspaper that his post was merely ceremonial as he was not involved in any decision-making process and that decisions were made and the documents simply taken to him for signature.
In this case, however, Granger has been the one deciding the parliamentary representatives for the coalition.
