…Granger also steps aside, likely to tap Harmon for Leader of the Opposition
Basil Williams, Volda Lawrence, Amna Ally and Aubrey Norton are among the most popular of the current PNCR executives, but having been defeated at the March 2, 2020 polls, its leader has decided to leave them off the list of new parliamentarians.
The list of MPs is dominated by fresh and young faces as the coalition seeks to rebrand in opposition ahead of the 2025 polls. Village Voice was told that the while most persons are satisfied with the move to bring in new faces, there are grumblings among the faithfuls over the complete discarding of the old guard. “This was a radical decision and maybe there could be some backlash,” a member of the PNCR Central Executive Committee told the Village Voice following a meeting at Congress Place Monday afternoon where the names of the MPs were revealed. Former President and PNCR Leader, David Granger had signaled his intention to shake things up when he unveiled what he termed the “10 commandments to become an MP of the coalition.”
Williams is the immediate past Chairman of the PNCR; Lawrence the current chairman; Ally is the General Secretary and Norton is Central Executive member and also a former general secretary. There is also no place for Carl Greenidge.
Among some of the more popular names extracted by Granger who is also leader of the coalition’s list of candidates are: Geeta Chandan-Edmond; Dr Karen Cummings; Annette Ferguson; Juretha Fernandes; Tabitha Saraboo-Halley; Nicollete Henry; Coreta McDonald; Amanza Walton-Desir; Sherod Duncan; Roysdale Forde; Joseph Harmon; Vincent Henry; Christopher Jones; David Patterson; Haimraj Rajkumar; Khemraj Ramjattan; Raphael Trotman; Cathy Hughes; Sherwin Holder; Ganesh Mahipaul; Maureen Philadelphia; Jermaine Figueira; Devin Sears; Ronald Cox; Dawn Hastings-Williams; Ricky Ramsaroop.
Granger two weeks ago had assured supporters concerned about the declaration of the elections that the party has all intention to legally challenge the result and will actively continue the fight for justice. “The recount process revealed a plethora of grave anomalies, discrepancies and irregularities, the scale, size and scope of which were revealed only through tabulation and observation during the recount. The recount was intended to determine both the quantitative and qualitative nature of the votes cast at the General and Regional Elections and to determine ‘a final credible count’. At the end of the recount, however, it became manifest that the results did not meet the standard for credible elections,” Granger stated. He further assured: “The PNC will challenge the declared results lawfully. We urge our members, supporters and friends – who have been patient throughout our campaign and the post-elections process – to continue to conduct themselves in a lawful and peaceful manner.”
The PNC/R Leader said that his party has acted responsibly throughout the prolonged political crisis and will continue to do so, even as he implored all Guyanese to remain calm and peaceful. He said that while his party respects the rulings of the Guyana Court of Appeal and the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) which have led to the declaration, no acceptance is given to the significant anomalies and irregularities which were ignored in the Recount Report thus altering the results of the elections.
“The PNC repeats its assertion that fraudulent votes should not have been held to represent the will of the electorate. The inclusion of fraudulent votes in a ‘Declaration’ constitutes a violation of the fundamental principles of democracy. We maintain that the Elections Commission should have made a ‘Declaration’ based only on valid votes,” the former President said. The party leader further thanked those who participated in the General and Regional Elections, its supporters and its coalition partners for working alongside the PNC/R, noting that the “struggle for justice continues”.
