Dear Editor,
I applaud the appointment of Mr. Aubrey Norton as MP (PNC or APNU) and Leader of Opposition. An injustice was committed against the PNC leader when he was not immediately chosen as a MP following his victory for leadership of the party last December. In any other country, the leader of an opposition party would be made Opposition Leader once he or she is elected to parliament and unless the position is declined as had happened in India some years ago when L. K. Advani turned it down in favor of a protégé.
Norton was kept out of parliament for too long, over three months, and the parliament (coalition) was without an official Opposition Leader (OL). As I penned last December after Norton’s victory in the leadership contest and again a month later, it was inevitable that he would become MP and Leader of Opposition. One can’t defy rules of principles for too long in organic politics. The man is deserving of both positions. In almost every country, save India, the leader of the largest opposition party in parliament (or the person commanding the support of the greater number of opposition legislators) is the OL.
In India, a party leader must have ten percent support of the MPs of the House in order to be granted the title of OL. India has been without an OL since May 2014 because no opposition party won 10% of seats. Guyana and other countries don’t have a minimum number of opposition MPs as supporting the leader. The OL title comes with honours, perks, and privileges. In almost every country, including India, the OL is given the rank of a cabinet Minister with all perks that come with it including an official office, several assistants, security, etc. The PNC membership voted for Norton as leader and that vote should be respected.
Norton’s victory last December was not surprising although the percentage of party members who partook in the polls was less than half. Norton is a known political street fighter. He has been around a long time as a PNC activist since the days of Burnham. He had run ins with Desmond Hoyte who didn’t have kind words of him. But he is attached to the PNC’s grass roots base. The primary role of an OL is to expose the government and hold it accountable. The OL does not have to oppose everything, and he or she does not have to perennially confrontational. OLs are known to support government on critical issues. Norton should critique and praise when necessary.
Norton’s predecessors were opposed to almost every measure of the Ali administration. Norton must show he is different from predecessors who caused the party to lose support. The OL is reminded that he is head of the shadow government in waiting. He is shadow President. He must act accordingly and responsibly. He should accept the invitation from the President to meet to discuss Constitutional Commission issues. This should be a matter of urgency. The OL is advised that he cannot dictate what can be discussed but he can request and engage in quid pro quo to arrive at a reasonable solution to nagging issues. The OL is reminded that unless he acts responsibly, the support base of his party and that of himself will erode.
Sincerely,
Vishnu Bisram
