PNC stalwarts must be ruing the day they got rid of the “one-man rule” in their party – as practised by Fat Boy Burnham. In the then PNC Constitution, the Leader held the supreme power of Congress between congresses!! Of course, he later adopted those powers over the country!! Now, if Norton had those powers, he could’ve declared that all those party members baying at his heels were out of line – and banished them into oblivion!! In this area, Burnham had centralized decision-making in his party, even more than the PPP had done with their “democratic centralism”. You don’t get more “centralized” than with a dictatorship!!
Anyhow, Norton’s becoming even more beleaguered by the minute, and no one sees him as the ‘second coming’ of the Kabaka. If he thought party members would accept his word as the leader – and as a PNC gentleman – he thought wrongly. Seems that the females of the party are pledging their loyalties to their gender ahead of their loyalty to the party – which had always been placed supreme. Several MPs – including Anette Ferguson and Halley – have demanded that there be a full and transparent inquiry into Kissoon’s allegations of sexual harassment!!
Ah…the times have certainly changed!! What next?? PNC members demanding leaders place country above party?? Oy vey!! The example that Burnham set when he connived with the US and UK to sell out democracy will be abandoned.
Anyhow, what’s ahead for Norton?? No matter what they might profess in public, all of the challengers to his leadership will be supporting the Kissoon smear campaign. The truth about her claims is irrelevant!! So, if Norton goes ahead and brazens out the charges, those leaders will see it as their best bet to back a “consensus” candidate, for which Norton can throw his hat into the ring. This might be a way for him to save face, and not be a lame-duck leader going into the 2025 elections. He could now say he was stepping aside for the greater good of the country; and he’d already floated this proposal before the “proposition” scandal!!
But there’s already been a wider call for a “consensus” candidate – championed by a lapsed member of the AFC, everyone thought! – Nigel Hughes. So, the question arises: will Norton put his money where his mouth is and back Hughes to take on the PPP in 2025?? The smart money says Hughes is a much more attractive candidate than Norton – POLITICALLY, that is, smart alecks!!
Your Eyewitness, however, doesn’t think Norton would step aside. He’s waited too long and paid too many dues for this chance at the top rung. That it’s a long shot is irrelevant – he’ll figure it’s at least a shot!!
…the outbidding
It’s expected during campaigns that the contestants would try outbidding each other. Remember the song “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better”? The geriatric party -Burnham’s Worst Possible Alternative” – were first off the blocks with their strategic signalling “Buxton Declaration”, Remember Burnham’s “Sophia Declaration”? It’s an annual cash transfer from the Oil Revenues of $100,000,000 – see all those zeroes??!! – annually to every family in Guyana!! Since there are more than 235,000 families here, that would mean doling out $23,400,000,000,000 EVERY YEAR!! Your Eyewitness can’t even say how many billions that amounts to!! Trillions??
This is unlike the PPP, who’re doling out $40,000 monthly or $480,000 annually to several thousand persons – but demanding they work 10 days monthly!! Other handouts are targeted at schoolchildren, etc. They’re trying not to develop a dependency mentality, but encourage Guyanese to grasp the opportunities sprouting all around. The small transfers are to help them bear strain while the expanding economy gradually absorbs them as self-sufficient workers!!
It’s a fundamental difference in world views!!
…the conspiracy theorists
After 2020, the Opposition’s been accusing the Yanks of a “regime change” for the PPP. But with the breaking gold-smuggling scandal, they’re now screaming the same Yanks never trusted the PPP – before 2015!! So, which is it??
