Home Top Stories PNCR to establish committee to finalise members’ list ahead of August congress...
– says leadership focusing on “uniting” party
The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) party is currently establishing an oversite committee which would be tasked with finalising its members’ list ahead of the congress slated for August.
According to Chairman of the PNCR, Member of Parliament Shurwayne Holder, the committee is part of the party’s efforts to ensure elections are conducted smoothly.
Holder, who believes there will be at least 1,000 delegates at that congress, is claiming that persons who walked away from the party are now returning.
It has been explained that this oversight committee would also ensure transparency and accountability at the elections, since two current Executives of the party – Roysdale Forde and Ganesh Mahipal – have both publicly expressed interest in contesting for the post of leadership.
According to Holder, while he is supporting Norton in the upcoming congress, it doesn’t matter who the new leader is, given that the party has one common goal, which is: to be returned to Government.
“I believe that we are in a strong position at this point. Over the last two years, the leadership team has worked hard on the ground, tirelessly. We have shifted the powers that we think (were) a little away from us now to a position where they are speaking with us regularly, understanding our vision, understanding our policy and the direction that we want to carry this country into,” Holder said.
When questioned by media operatives about growing tension among senior members of the main Opposition, Holder posited that “public banter” and leadership contests illustrate how democratic the party is.
Holder said he and Norton are solely focused on uniting the party ahead of next year’s elections.
“You will see more coalition as we get closer towards General and Regional Elections…My focus going forward would be to continue the work of the party until congress time, and even after congress; and continue to fight and put us in a position in which we can win the next general and regional elections,” Holder posited.
Holder has revealed that he intends to vie for the chairmanship of the party. “Once nominated for the position of Chairman — and I intend to contest for that position — I can assure you that my position and the leader’s position when he (Norton) is re-elected will be to work towards unifying the party. It is the only way to go,” Holder has said.
Norton became leader of that party following the 22nd Biennial Congress, where he was challenged for the post by Joseph Harmon and Richard Van West-Charles.
New leadership positions will be determined at the party’s 23rd Biennial Congress, which is likely to be held by the end of August 2024.
Re-election
Leader of the ruling Opposition, Aubrey Norton, is positive he would be re-elected leader of the People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) when that party holds its congress this year.
“I have no doubt that, at the next congress, I will be returning as leader of the party,” Norton said during a recent PNC/R press conference.
According to Norton, he has done a great job in maintaining the party, and his work as leader of PNC/R speaks for itself.
Coalition
Meanwhile, when questioned about the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) partnering again for the 2025 General and Regional Elections, Norton disclosed that both parties have to meet to discuss this. Norton explained that engagements would be held for a decision to be made as to whether these parties would form a coalition or go forward separately.
“In a coalition, you work together: you discuss, you narrow the differences, and produce some kind of confluence of interest to be able to move forward…the AFC makes its decisions, PNC APNU make our decisions, and then we have to meet to find a confluence; but it’s not a case where the PNC can decide for AFC, or the AFC can make decisions,” Norton explained.
The Alliance For Change (AFC) formally broke its coalition with A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) back in December 2022.
The revised Cummingsburg Accord, a political agreement between these two organisations, had provided for this separation. At the time, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan had indicated that the two political organisations would do their political work separately, but work in Parliament jointly.