Nearly two weeks after Joseph Harmon stepped down as Leader of the Opposition, there is still uncertainty over his replacement despite reports that A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change member, Dr Nicolette Henry, resigned from the National Assembly to allow People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, Aubrey Norton to become a Member of Parliament (MP) and ultimately Opposition Leader.
After making her contribution to last week debates on Budget 2022, Henry, who had served as Education Minister under the previous APNU/AFC Coalition government, announced it was her final presentation in the National Assembly.
“In light that this is my final Budget Presentation in this Honorable House, of course, I begin by thanking none other than His Excellency, former President [David] Granger, who reposed in me the confidence to serve in this Honourable House. I am forever grateful to the people of this country who afforded me the opportunity to serve them with professionalism, dignity and accountability… So, today, it was with those words I part company,” Henry stated.
It was anticipated that with a vacant seat now on the Opposition’s side of the National Assembly, Norton would be sworn in as a Member of Parliament and take up the role of Opposition Leader that was left vacant by Harmon, who is still a parliamentarian.
However, this publication understands that Henry is yet to submit a formal letter of resignation to the relevant authorities at the Parliament of Guyana. Moreover, Norton himself is reportedly uncertain about Henry’s MP status.
When contracted on Sunday for an update on the appointment of a new Opposition Leader, the PNC Leader said he is yet to receive formal indications that Henry has resigned from the National Assembly.
“As far as I know, she hasn’t resigned as yet… I have not been told that she has resigned although she has announced it formally,” he related.
Consequently, Norton posited, “There is not sense talking about [the new Opposition Leader] when there is no vacancy. When there is a vacancy then we can talk about Leader of the Opposition but for now there is none, until the resignation occurs.”
Norton had revealed last month that the Central Executive of the PNC, which the leading party in the Coalition Opposition, wants him to take up the role of Opposition Leader.
Despite refusing to step down initially, Harmon resigned from the post on January 26 but still remains an Opposition Member of Parliament.
In light of this, Norton had been meeting with various PNC parliamentarians to convince one of them to resign so that he can enter the National Assembly. According to reports, Dr Henry had agreed to step down.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that the party is also talking to other MPs to resign in order to make way for members of the current PNC Central Executive to similarly join the National Assembly.
In coming to this decision, the PNC Leader had held a series of meetings with the various parties in the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) fraction as well as its Alliance For Change (AFC) Coalition partner.
However, AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan has informed this publication that while his party will continue to meet with its Coalition partner, the appointment of the new Opposition Leader is “exclusively” an APNU issue.
Meanwhile, Opposition MP, Deputy Speaker Lenox Shuman, who is the representative of the joinder list which comprises of his party the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) as well as A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and The New Movement (TNM), had also indicated previously that he would not be participating in that process to elect the new Leader of the Opposition.
Shuman currently occupies one seat in the 32-seat Parliamentary Opposition, while the remaining are taken up by the APNU+AFC Coalition.
Nevertheless, Harmon’s resignation as Opposition Leader last month came one day after he had also stepped down as General Secretary of the APNU, while former PNC Leader David Granger has resigned as the party’s Chairman. The APNU Chairmanship has since been taken up by Norton.
The PNC Leader is also looking to take over as Head of the APNU+AFC List of Candidate – a position that is currently being by Granger. For Norton to become the new Leader of the Opposition, Granger will have to give the greenlight. In an event that Granger steps down as head of the list of candidates, AFC’s Khemraj Ramjattan will take his place.
In fact, PNC General Secretary Geeta Chandan-Edmond told reporters during a press conference that consultations are ongoing to determine the procedure in moving forward with this issue.
However, Ramjattan, who is the current Deputy Head of the List, had previously made it clear that the established procedures must be followed before the Representative of the List can be changed.
Meanwhile, both Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo and Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips last week have disclosed that President Dr Irfaan Ali and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government by extension is willing to work with the new Opposition Leader.
