PNC’s stalwart Amna Ally: “She did not confuse ideological divergence with personal disdain”- Pres Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali paid his final respects to Amna Ally, remembering her for never allowing politics to consume her humanity.
Amna Ally, the former Social Cohesion and Social Protection Minister under the coalition Government, and a longstanding member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) was on Tuesday laid to rest.

The funeral service for Ally, which was held at the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) Woolford Avenue, Thomas lands Georgetown, Guyana saw several senior Government officials, members of parliament and representatives from the diplomatic community gathering to pay their respect to the late politician.
Speaking at the funeral service, President Ali remembered the late politician as one who truly understood the principals of her role and one who did her job effortlessly without being bias and malicious towards her opponents.
“I will never forget beneath the formal tone and political armor was a woman who understood that politics is not war and that even when we disagree, sometimes profoundly, we do not have to be this way. Amna Ally knew the difference between opposing someone’s views and scorning their humanity,” Ali stated.

The President added, “She did not confuse ideological divergence with personal disdain. She could, with conviction, call out what she considered flawed arguments or poor policies yet return moments later with a smile or a story that reminded everyone that politics is not all that we are. She never lost her wariness. Her political fire never consumed her capacity for human connection and while she would be sharp, at times acidic and combative, her sharpness never turned into cruelty.”
Moreover, the head of state also highlighted the impact the late politician has left on Guyana’s political landscape.
“In an age when the political sphere is increasingly polarised, and attacks often descend into personal vilifications, Amna Ally was a quiet reminder that one could be a staunch defender of their beliefs without forsaking empathy,” Ali said.

Absent
While there were politicians from sides of the National Assembly, past and present, noticeably absent at the funeral service at CIOG, such as current leader of the PNCR, Aubrey Norton, who’s leadership Ally had been critical of.
Last year, Ally made it clear that she cannot be silenced, said that she cannot sit and quietly watch Norton “weaken and destroy” the PNCR. She further made it clear that she cannot support his leadership and would thus not be making any contributions until the party changes leadership.

In March of this year, Ally resigned from the PNCR. In her resignation, she accused PNCR leader Aubrey Norton of being unfit to lead the party and accused the leadership of, among other things, mistreating the women in the party.
A teacher by profession, Ally was a long-standing member of the PNCR, serving for over 50 years. She is a former Executive and General Secretary of the party and was first elected to parliament on the PNCR slate in 1985. She served as Minister of Social Cohesion and then Minister of Social Protection, between the years 2015 and 2020.
Ally passed away on May 11 at the age of 77. The PNC stalwart was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) after falling ill.
She was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and that up to Saturday morning, was in a critical condition before she passed away. Her death was subsequently confirmed by Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones, before multiple sources also confirmed her death, and condolences from both sides of the political aisle poured in.