Your Eyewitness found it rather pathetic that the new Leader of the Opposition (LoO) had to make his views on the budget known on one of the social media programs that abound nowadays. They are so ubiquitous and so narrow in their focus that one is hard pressed to keep up with them unless one is on some mailing list. But thank god for friends – and a clip was sent to yours truly of Aubrey Norton expatiating on any number of issues -including the Budget.
And this was exactly what your Eyewitness was talking about yesterday…whether you agreed with him or not, the man had an integrated overview of matters political that one could interrogate! But the irony was someone like former representative of the WPA, Sarabo-Halley could be in Parliament representing god-knows-who while Norton was reduced to carrying on in the fringes. Another shad, shat shituation! Yes, Sarabo-Halley represents exactly what’s wrong with the PNC right now.
They’d formed APNU with a host of minuscule “parties” – including the WPA- so as to hide their thuggish past. THEY knew they were mamaguying the Guyanese people – especially their supporters – but they callously counting on their gullibility. The paper-parties knew they were mamaguying the Guyanese people but went along because it offered them another 15-minutes in the sun. And the Guyanese people knew they were being mamaguyed but this being Guyana, they were willing to try anything to get out of their political mess. But truth will always out!!
And out it was when the PNC a started treating its erstwhile “partners” like doormats after they got into office! The WPA protested and finally quit the coalition after the Coalition lost in 2020 and Granger as the Representative of the List (ROTL) unilaterally sent their representative Sarabo Halley to Parliament!! They were surprised they weren’t consulted? When had they ever been? Granger then blithely announced that Sarabo-Halley had formed a new party – Guyana Nation Builders Movement (GNBM) – and she was representing that entity.
After all, this is the same man who’d insisted his erstwhile partners show they received 7000 votes to be given a seat in Parliament!! Your Eyewitness is still scratching his head on how Granger discerned Sarabo-Halley garnering the requisite supporters!! The entire WPA would be hard pressed to round up 700 warm bodies!! So this is where the fracas in the PNC has brought Guyanese politics: having a person standing up in Parliament to criticize the budget when everyone on her side of the aisle knew she hadn’t the SLIGHTEST legitimacy to do so!!
For Guyana’s sake, your Eyewitness hopes the PNC will get its house in order!
…but can cease
From what your Eyewitness has heard – like Marvin Gaye, through the grapevine! – there have been frantic efforts behind the scenes to get Norton to become the Opposition Leader in Parliament. There was a long heralded meeting supposedly between Norton, Granger, Harmon and Ramjattan but Granger never showed while Harmon resigned as the LOO. But Granger remains ROTL insisting only he can replace and appoint Opposition MP’s. So Norton remains in limbo!
But is Norton really helpless? Article 156 (3)(c) of the Constitution deals with the ROTL and his power to remove or appoint Opposition MPs. It says that the ROTL must have “meaningful consultations with the party or parties that make up the list” and if they “have lost confidence in that member (he) issues a written notice to the Speaker to recall the member”.
The key words are “meaningful consultations with the party or parties”. Granger can’t decide unilaterally any longer. He should be challenged – in court if necessary.
“Meaningful consultations” have been judicially determined!!
…even with resignation
Your Eyewitness just learnt that former MP and Minister of Education Nicolette Henry resigned from Parliament to make way for Norton. But there’s still that small matter of Granger the gatekeeper discussed above!!
Quo Vadis, PNC??
