Dear Editor,
The submission of names by the PNC for the next sitting of Parliament have shown some notable names being absent from the list. Chief among those are James Bond, Aubrey Norton, Volda Lawrence and Amna Ally.
Now, this has caused quite a stir within and outside of the party, to the point where many have suggested that this shows a rift in that party’s overall structure, rendering it weak and ineffective in future elections. Be that as it may, these are the facts that confront us in regard to that party.
* The PNC is a party that says one thing and does another. In 2015, Granger published in his manifesto that the PNC would provide jobs for the young people of this country. The result was a bunch of geriatrics taking office and the youths being unceremoniously sidelined. It is called political expediency; that is, use the youths for their votes, then dump them. This is direct revelation of the duplicitous nature of the party and its leaders.
* Those duplicitous and deceptive qualities were evident way back then, even at the inception of that party; and were maintained ever since that time. Burnham, its founder-leader, had trained party members in the fine art of con-artistry and how to get their way around. Of course it served them well! Because, for 28 unbroken years, and five more under Granger, they kept themselves in power.
* The PNC is a party that has been well trained in the art of rigging elections to stay in power. Every election under its watch has been rigged.
* The PNC was caught in the act of rigging the 2020 Elections due to its inordinate obsession with power. However, firm and decisive action by the then Opposition, coupled with the straightforward no-nonsense approach by the International Community, forced Granger to eventually concede.
* The PNC is a party that is well entrenched in violence. The propensity to carry out violent acts to intimidate and create mayhem is all within the DNA of that party. It is an undeniable fact that The PNC was instrumental in fomenting the 1964 Civil War, wherein 5 members of the Abraham family were burnt to death. Even the entire PPP hierarchy would have been annihilated were it not for the timely intervention of Michael Forde, who paid the ultimate price. He intercepted that bomb package at Freedom House, thereby saving the lives of all his party comrades who were on the upper floor of that building. The so-called “time of troubles”, when scores of persons lay dead – including policemen – were all attributed to the PNC and their “Freedom Fighters.”
Those of our youths who are too young to know can read up on these ghastly stories in our historical records in both the print and electronic media.
* The PNC has shown a lack of respect for the Constitution, and by extension the people of Guyana. Theirs is the full-out bullyism with the belief that they can just muscle their way through any situation, and no one can stop them.
So, making these cosmetic changes would not do any good, once the general image of the party remains the same. With such a sordid outlook, no good can come out of that source. A “makeover” would not do either, no matter how good it appears, that would not make a difference within the lives and experience of the people of this country.
Simply put, our people would not be fooled again. Once the operatives in that party remain the same, with all their ingrained problems, as I would normally say, it is the “same difference.”
The PNC must come to the realisation that it has lost relevance in a Guyanese context.
Respectfully,
Neil Adams
