“What kind of leader are you?” – Jagdeo slams Norton for boycotting Amna Ally’s funeral

General Secretary of the Peoples Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, has called out the small-mindedness and vindictiveness of the leader of the Peoples National Congress (PNC), Aubrey Norton, for boycotting the funeral service of PNC party stalwart Amna Ally.

“What kind of leader are you? And you are talking about unifying people?” the PPP General Secretary remarked. “You’ve had Amna Ally in your party for 50 years, and you didn’t show up to the wake or funeral. What kind of vindictive or small-minded leader are you? Just imagine a government headed by Norton?” he added.
Ally died on Sunday, May 11, 2025. A teacher by profession, Ally was a long-standing member of the PNC. She is a former Executive and General Secretary of the party, and was first elected to parliament on the PNC slate in 1985.
She served as Minister of Social Cohesion, and then Minister of Social Protection, between the years 2015 and 2020. Leaders from across the political divide – including President Dr Irfaan Ali – paid tribute to the late politician.
However, PNC Leader Norton was notably absent from Ally’s funeral service, as well as events organised in honour of her life.
Last year, Ally had made it clear that she could not be silenced. She said she could not sit and quietly watch Norton “weaken and destroy” the PNCR, and further, she made it clear that she could not support his leadership, and would thus not be making any contributions until the party changes leadership.
In March of this year, when Ally resigned from the PNCR, 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.
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.
The PNC stalwart was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital(GPHC) after falling ill.