It’s no secret that Norton’s leadership gonna be challenged at the PNC’s upcoming Congress. While some like the WPA have dabbled with notions like ‘collective leadership’, the PNC ain’t about to challenge its Founder leader’s maxim that “two-man crab cyaan live in one hole”!! Burnham made a virtue of being a “maximum leader” and insisted the party’s constitution (Rule 22) declare that between Congresses – the highest party organ – all powers resided in him!! While that was changed after he passed on that operating table at the Big Hospital, his successors remain nostalgic for the “good ole days”, when the party was paramount over the State – and the leader was paramount over the party!!
Norton, of course, personally experienced the infinite powers of the party leader, when leader Desmond Hoyte unilaterally fired him by announcing that General Secretary Norton was “his creature”. Even though this was true since the GS was then appointed solely at the discretion of the Party Leader – the image of a “creature” in the Guyanese imagination did not do any favour to Norton! It stubbornly stuck like a shadow. So, while – as it did in 2020 following the PNC’s ouster from office – the PNC’s gonna be boasting about the challenge to Norton’s leadership burnishing the party’s “democratic” credentials, the reality is that he was cynically used and is about to be discarded like a used tissue!!
In 2020, Hamilton Green and several PNC acolytes were adamant that Granger should NEVER have accepted the election results – even after the recount. He was adjudged to be too “soft” and not in the mould of rig-master Burnham. Norton was seen as the “creature” who’d be able to rally the party faithful; manners the PPP – and hound them out of office!! The tactics from the glorious days of the 1962-1963 riots had seemingly escaped the historian Granger – but cometh the hour, Norton appeared to be the man of the hour!! And he was ensconced as PNC leader in their Dec 2022 vote.
But after his most confrontational action was to refuse to shake Pres Ali’s hand, he lost his street-bruiser mojo and has been unable to recover it since. Party stalwarts figure if Norton can’t get it on in the streets, then the PNC’s gonna be losing corn (violence) – as well as husk – Burnham’s suave, middle-class mould!! And it’s why Norton’s challengers – male as well as female – are doing their darndest to channel LFSB!!
But even Norton seems to’ve lost the plot. Asked whether he could win the PNC leadership, he responded: “I’m convinced that when the Congress comes, I would be re-elected leader to be a thorn in the side of the PPP.”
Just a thorn?? Gwan da side, Aubrey!!
…in the world
Your Eyewitness is pretty chuffed that Prezzie has pressed on with boosting our military capabilities. In addition to the recent purchase of several helicopters and a Patrol Boat from the US, he just signed on the dotted line for two Dornier 228 aircraft from India. The armed Dorniers are especially suited for our conditions – especially in Essequibo where they can land on extremely short runways. Originally manufactured in German, they’ve been built by an Indian company that recently delivered five to the Indian Air Force. A US company will soon start building them again at the original plant in Germany – which was shuttered in 2002.
But the purchase of planes from India is a signal of India’s rise in manufacturing prowess after Modi’s 2014 “Made in India” strategy. This has coincided with the US and other Western companies hedging their bets after US concerns about China have risen to the fore.
Will India surpass China soon – not likely. But they’ll give them a run for Western money!!
…the food supply chain
Imagine in addition to bigan, our farmers are now producing fresh herbs and leafy vegetables such as mini cucumbers, celery, basil, chives, parsley, dill, coriander, spinach, Swiss chard, kale, sage, oregano green, cavolo, mustard red, thyme, among others!
