The People National Congress Reform (PNCR) held its second General Council Meeting over the last weekend- August 6-7th. General Council is scheduled to be held every quarterly.
The Council which was held under the theme, “Rebuilding Our Party, Connecting With Our Grassroots Base,” explored ways how the Party could further strengthen itself as a modern political organisation and redouble efforts to protect and advance the social and economic interests of Guyanese, in their homes and communities.
Leader of the PNCR, Mr. Aubrey Norton, in delivering the Feature Address, called on supporters to get into campaign mode and spread the Party’s messages not only within its strongholds but across all communities in Guyana.
He urged the Party’s entire leadership to focus on the big picture and not be distracted with disagreements to create unwarranted internal division. Norton, as Mr. Joe Harmon and Dr. Richard Van West-Charles, who last year campaigned to be Leader for the party, had all committed to uniting the various factions in the Party, regardless of who won the election on December 18, 2021. That division has not been addressed.
Turning attention to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the party leader called for a clean Voters List and for an impartial and trustworthy Chairperson. At a rally, held last Tuesday by the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Norton called for GECOM Chair Justice Claudette Singh to be removed.
Making the case that GECOM has lost its independence the Party Leader, who is also Leader of the Opposition and the APNU, is calling for the Commission to return as an independent body. He cited the Chair for voting every time with the Government-nominated commissioners.
Previous GECOM chairmen sought to build a consensus approach to policy direction and decisions, rarely having cause to cast a vote that could be said to benefit either the Opposition or Government-nominated commissioners. Justice Singh has distinguished herself by her dissimilar voting record.
