Longstanding member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Simona Broomes has resigned from the party with immediate effect.
In a letter seen by the Village Voice Newspaper, Broomes, a former Minister of Government under the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC), tendered her resignation on Friday, January 7, 2022.
“The nature of this resignation is personal, but I wish this political entity every success at changing our beloved country for the better,” Broomes said in a letter addressed to the General Secretary of the PNCR, Geeta Chandan-Edmond. The resignation took immediate effect.
Attempts to contact Broomes on Saturday proved futile.
Broomes served as Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection with responsibility for Labour, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs under APNU+AFC Government.
In an interview with the Village Voice Newspaper during mid-2021, Broomes said she had taken a conscious decision not to return to Parliament.
Such a position, she said, was conveyed to the then Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) David Granger even before the APNU+AFC shortlisted candidates to sit in the National Assembly. PNCR forms the major part of the coalition.
Throughout the interview, Broomes was tightlipped about the reason behind her decision to take a backseat.
“It was a personal decision, and one of myself and family, not to return to the National Assembly at this time,” she would only say.
LACK OF RESOURCES
However, Broomes said though she served to the best of her ability under the Coalition Government, all was not well.
“I took the oath to serve the people of Guyana and I did that to the best of my ability and so, I would say that my performance was above board and to the expectation of the people of Guyana,” Broomes said.
The US State Department 2013 TIP Hero, Broomes said during her time in office, she worked tirelessly to improve working conditions across the various industries, prevent human trafficking and the exploitation of workers, resolve labour disputes and meet the needs of small and medium scale miners. It was under her watch that former employees of Tower Hotel won a $10M lawsuit against the hotel. Broomes was also instrumental in the establishment of a National Mining Syndicate – a mining organization that advocates for reasonable, sustainable and safe exploration within the extractive industry through policy development and education.
The former government minister, who worked as a miner for 30 years before her state appointment, said much more could have been done had she the resources to execute the job.
“I was not able to accomplish all that I could have accomplished. Moving from the various ministries, it had its setbacks,” Broomes said but made it clear that she used every appointment to make a meaningful impact regardless of the sector or the ministry.
However, she said there was no clear direction given to her, particularly in the case of the Ministry of Natural Resources.
“…There was no clear roles or responsibilities from the minister. When you are in these ministries, it is not the president, it is the minister that has the responsibility to say these are some of the areas and these are some of the things that I want you to deal with or I want you to look at. And at the Ministry of Natural Resources, no, it didn’t happen. Did I have resources? No, I didn’t have, and so more could have been done,” she explained.
The situation, she said, was similar at the Ministry of Social Protection, in which she served as Minister with responsibility for Labour. She said her reassignment to the Ministry of the Presidency took place after the 2018 No-Confidence Motion, and that meant there was no budget for her office. Broomes said at times, she found herself utilising her own financial resources to assist persons who visited the ministries, and as well as to facilitate work related trips to the interior and other locations.
Outside of the Parliament, she has been providing humanitarian aid through her foundation – The Broomes Foundation.
