“Their time will come”- Norton on Forde, Walton-Desir challenge for leadership

Addressing the recent challenge to his leadership of the People’s National Congress/Reform (PNC/R) Party, Aubrey Norton has said his two main challengers, Amanza Walton-Desir and Roysdale Forde, will have their time.
During a recent interview with Dr. Asquith Rose on Globespan, the Opposition Leader spoke of his leadership of the PNC/R as well as the relationship with his challengers. Ahead of the party’s congress in June, Norton was challenged for leadership by Walton-Desir and Forde. However, both challengers dropped out of the race before the internal polls, citing electoral irregularities. During his interview, Norton claimed to still be on good terms with both Forde and Walton-Desir; and, according to him, their time to lead the party will come one day.

“I would think so. In fact, I’ve spoken to both of them briefly. I was in the park where Amanza was, and we had a photo opportunity. I think these are young Members of Parliament who, with time, will come into their own,” Norton has said.
According to Norton, he has a strong base within the party, and whether or not Forde and Walton-Desir had dropped out, the election would have ended in his victory. As a matter of fact, Norton credited his efforts to connect with people at the grassroots, including in various entertainment spots, with his success in the party.
“One of the tasks I undertook from the time I became leader was to put the party back on the ground, make it a grassroots party. I’ve been involved in reinvigorating our groups, setting up new groups, and so, in large measure, a lot of the people who became despondent returned to the party and began working. So I can say that I have a strong base in the party,” Norton explained.
Walton-Desir and Forde had both outlined various concerns with the election, including the delay in releasing a preliminary list of delegates and a lack of confidence in the transparency of the elections. Walton-Desir had, in a statement, cited serious concerns over procedural fairness and transparency as key reasons for her decision to withdraw her candidacy. She had said that, throughout her campaign, she had emphasized values such as transparency, fairness, decency and integrity within the party; however, recent developments had cast doubt on the integrity of the leadership selection process.
“I come to you today to announce my decision to suspend my campaign for the PNCR leadership. This decision has been incredibly difficult, but it has been made after deep reflection and extensive discussions with my team and close advisors,” her statement had read. “Though I am suspending my campaign, our work does not end here. We must continue to advocate for the values we believe in, and push for the changes our party needs,” Walton-Desir had expressed to her followers.
Meanwhile, hours after Walton-Desir had announced the suspension of her campaign, Roysdale Forde, SC, had announced that he also had taken a decisive step in the midst of the PNC internal elections turmoil by suspending his campaign and refusing all nominations for party positions. His actions had come as a response to what he had perceived to be severe irregularities within the party’s electoral process.
In his statement, Forde had outlined several critical reasons for his decision, chief among his concerns being allegations of electoral malpractice and procedural flaws that had tainted the integrity of the ongoing election proceedings.
Forde had said that his decision was precipitated by a lack of response to his repeated communications to the Central Executive Committee and the General Secretary regarding his concerns about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process.
Despite raising alarm over discrepancies in delegate lists and unrealistic timelines imposed for the party congress, Forde had said, his concerns had gone unaddressed.
Norton had meanwhile gone on to be re-elected as PNC/R Leader, and a motion had also been passed for him to be the presidential candidate at next year’s elections. (G3)