After a protracted delay, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) has set its Biennial Congress for the latter part of this year – which will see the election of new leadership.
PNC Chairperson Volda Lawrence
At a press conference on Friday, PNCR Chairperson Volda Lawrence informed that the Central Executive Committee (CEC) would have taken a decision on Thursday to hold the Congress by the end of November but no later than December 13, 2021.
“The Congress will be for delegates only, decentralised and hybrid. It will be conducted over one day at party Congress houses in the respective regions… At our next meeting, we propose to deal with setting up the Congress committee, which should be in another week’s time and will carry out the mandate that is reposed in it by the leadership of the party,” said Lawrence.
This time around, she said the nominations will determine if she will run for the party’s leadership.
Asked what mechanisms will be in placed to ensure that ballots are cast fairly at the various locations, Lawrence said, “The party has various leadership structures in all of the 10 administrative regions, including the diaspora. Those leadership structures will kick in on that day and prior to that, and it will be their responsibility to ensure that the process is carried out in a smooth and transparent manner.”
PNCR leader David Granger
PNC’s last Biennial Congress was in 2018, where former President David Granger was returned unopposed as leader of the party. This time around, Granger had cited the COVID-19 pandemic for the delay in holding the Congress.
Granger, who left office in August 2020, after a five-month battle in Guyana for democracy to prevail, has been facing pressure from within the party and has suffered a sharp drop in popularity, over the loss of the 2020 General and Regional Elections after just one term in office.
These divisions were exacerbated by the list of parliamentarians he picked to send to the 12th Parliament, after party stalwarts like Chairperson Volda Lawrence were excluded and the WPA was not consulted to name their candidate. WPA subsequently withdrew from the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition, following on the heels of the Justice For All Party (JFAP).
Granger has been denounced by individual members of the party, like one-time PNC parliamentarian James Bond. Bond has in fact labelled Granger’s leadership as “ineffective” and “mediocre”.
Granger has also been criticised by the PNCR diaspora group, who added their voices last month to calls for the former President to step down from leading the party. In a letter signed by Connie McGuire, Michael Bramford, George E, Lewis and the PNCR New York Diaspora group, they had appealed to all PNC Executives, members and supporters to demand the resignations of Granger and other party leaders.
They noted that after working tirelessly to get Granger elected in 2015, the party made a series of missteps, failed to connect to supporters and side-lined young and dynamic leadership like that offered by former Region 10 Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon.
According to the group, the PNC’s elitist attitude adopted after they entered Government is responsible for losing the March 2 General and Regional Elections last year. It also wasn’t lost on the group that Granger and his fellow PNC leaders have been ducking responsibility for their party’s loss at the polls. The party has in fact gone to court claiming that the elections were rigged against them. Both of their election petitions have been tossed out.
Meanwhile, Dr Richard Van West-Charles and party stalwart Aubrey Norton are two executive members of the party who have indicated their interest in the top job. Norton, who challenged for leadership of the party and lost to Granger in 2014, has said that there is a need for a new political culture. He was of the view that he could usher in this new political culture, as leader of the PNC.
