Dear Editor,
I made it pellucid that no matter what, the PNCR must be firmly united after Congress, full stop! A united and invigorated opposition is needed to defeat the PPP dictatorship. Therefore, the call for Congress to be postponed after the process of nominations has been concluded is mischievous and smacks at the air of further division in the PNCR. This is unacceptable. The party has brilliant minds in its leadership and would not have allowed nominations to go ahead if there were concerns about the timeframe for Congress. The issue of Congress being called on short notice can no longer be a matter to be discussed much less addressed.
Had Roysdale Forde or Amanza Walton clinched the most nominations, would this issue arise? I have serious issues with Norton; some of it personal but this must be a matter of fairness. We cannot slight the man or the process now. No matter what we think or feel about him, it is the members and supporters that must decide who the next leader will be, full stop. We don’t know who will win the leadership and fear must not overtake us because the nomination process favoured a candidate.
However, my greater concern is defeating the PPP and saving Guyana for all Guyanese to enjoy a good life. I have, in the past, rubbished the idea of a consensus candidate and the national newspapers have carried my view on that. I now wish to humbly reconsider. It is my firm belief that for us to remove the PPP at the next general elections, the presidential candidate should not come from our party but must be identified from a wider coalition. That leader is right before us, present, qualified and ready; a statesman without a doubt, a reformist and a national figure that all of us would rally behind.
We must be reminded that the Aubrey Norton we are castigating has made it public that he would not rule out a consensus candidate. The PNCR must therefore show that it has what it takes to put Guyana first. The reality is, that the infighting in our party is doing no good to its image and a consensus candidate must come from without, within the relatively short space of time that we have before the national polls.
Sincerely,
Norman Browne
Social and Political Activist