In an emotionally charged and defiant statement, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member and Parliamentary Chief Whip, Christopher Jones, has issued a rallying cry to party supporters and the wider Guyanese public, reaffirming the party’s resilience and determination to reclaim its position as a national force—despite recent internal upheavals and growing political frustration.
“The PNC is not dead,” Jones declared in a social media post that has reverberated across political circles. “Let us begin the work to electoral victory on September 1, 2025.”
The PNCR, once the political engine that led Guyana to independence and republican status, and built many of its key institutions, is now navigating one of the most challenging chapters in its history. Jones acknowledged this turbulent moment but stood firm in affirming the party’s enduring legacy and essential role in national life.
Describing the PNC as “more than a political party… a national institution,” Jones spoke of the party’s historical triumphs and its deep connection to the Guyanese identity, quoting its battle song: “Out of ages of oppression, independent now we stand.”
But behind the soaring rhetoric lies a stark political reality. In recent times, the PNCR has seen significant defections from its leadership ranks, including longtime stalwarts and influential voices. Some have left for self-serving ambitions. Others walked away disaffected, disillusioned with what they perceive as a party veering off course, growing intolerant of internal dissent/alternative views, slow to act, and failing to robustly defend citizens against the increasingly authoritarian and corrupt People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government.
“There will be trials,” Jones wrote candidly. “BUT there will be triumphs.”
For many within and outside the PNCR, those trials include a leadership style viewed as resistant to diverse viewpoints, and a party machinery that some say has become sluggish in confronting the PPP government’s growing record of marginalisation, cronyism, and disregard for law, order and democratic norms. These grievances have left sections of the population, particularly the working class and rural communities, feeling unrepresented and unheard.
Yet Jones remains undeterred. He insists that the soul of the PNCR remains intact—and that its resurgence is inevitable. “The linchpin of this national institution are people who believe in it and will fight for it to be at its best,” he said, expressing confidence that the party will rally once more, stronger and more unified.
Reaffirming the party’s mission, he emphasised the power of the APNU alliance and called on supporters to mobilise the masses, “from field to office and factory.” Using a refrain from the Party’s Battle Song, Jones’ message to the party faithful—and the country—is clear: the struggle continues.
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat,” Jones urged.
With the countdown to the 2025 elections already underway, this statement marks more than a public address—it is a battle drum. Whether it will be enough to unify a fractured party and a wary electorate remains to be seen. Jones has lit the torch. Now, the PNCR must decide whether it will carry it forward.
