LAST week was quite an eventful one. On the minds of Guyanese were issues faced with the cash grant, the Mohameds, and Venezuela’s unprovoked aggression. The other major issue that got overlooked, though not deliberately, was the fiery cuss-down and tongue-lashing administered by former PNC/R Executive and APNU+AFC Minister of Government, Amna Ally, to the PNC/R Leader, Aubrey Norton and current APNU+AFC Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul.
Ally, a former strong and seasoned woman leader in opposition politics, launched a scathing attack on Norton’s leadership. She then resigned, but not before expressing her worry that the PNC/R was headed in the wrong political direction. She stated that she regretted the decision but had witnessed the disrespect demonstrated to others, mainly women, naming cases including Sharma Solomon, Cheryl Sampson, and Vanessa Kissoon.
She said there have been blatant cases of verbal and mental abuse at the hands of Norton and his minions. “This disgraceful conduct… brought shame and disgrace to the party,” Ally said.
And, before the public was allowed to inquire about her resignation, MP Mahipaul was in a public clash with the elderly Ally. Though he did not name her at first, he appeared to be defending Norton’s leadership, stating that some individuals would attempt to “distract, destabilise, and undermine” the party at election time. He said there were double standards and hypocrisy shown by Ally.
She replied to him, accusing him of undermining the same Norton he was defending. The former general secretary said Mahipaul was “ungrateful and opportunistic.” She settled him like a parent or elder settles a child as she detailed his attempts at the political backroom before abandoning the ship to become a Norton convert. And, just like a child, Mahipaul, after being scolded, retreated publicly like a child or a political boneless chicken. He then expressed “love” for Ally and put some whimsical political theory to justify his outburst.
Let’s examine this same political development.
Firstly, Ally is not the first or last prominent PNC/R person to resign in the last four years since Norton took control of the party. She is not the first to speak out against his management and leadership of the party. She joins a long line of people, both locally and internationally, who believe that Norton would be the end of the PNC/R dominance in local politics.
It is true that Ally appears to be bitter and hurt, but it is also true that she is concerned about the future of the PNC, which she has helped shape for 50 years. She refused to work with Norton because she does not support his leadership.
Ally was right to resign and call him out for allowing the internal politics to reach this bad state. She was taking the back seat as every member is initialed to do but Mahipaul, Sherwayne Holder and another party member just kept poking the bear to elicit a response.
And she gave them each a response that was a masterclass in internal PNC politics. The MPs are no match for her and certainly not on her level.
Secondly, it is not fair to listen to how and who is bringing the message without listening carefully to what the message is. Ally was saying that there were deep divisions and discontentment in the PNC/R since Norton took over from David Granger. She warned the public about the many instances where people are harassed verbally and emotionally by Norton and his surrogates in the party because they differ or refuse to get in line behind the many unlawful and worrying internal political decisions. Her warning seemed to hint at a wider problem that would be more serious down the line.
Mahipaul is wrong to attack the former minister in the way that he did. He should have called her since he claimed that he knew and loved her if he was not being opportunistic and hypocritical. He and Holder did not have to handle the former GS in the manner which evoked serious alarm. They are guilty of airing their dirty linen in public and not respecting their political elders. Even if they do not hold the same views as Ally, disagree respectfully and walk away.
The truth is Norton is behind the response of Mahipaul and Holder. If he is not, then he must say as the leader of party what he is doing to address this issue internally. The level of party indiscipline is telling. The PNC/R leader needs to keep the party members in line with the party rules, convention and traditions. The party GS has a critical role to play too. He must at least reach out to those women members who have resigned or are not active with a view of understanding their concerns about the leadership of PNC.
Saying that their departure from the PNC/R is irrelevant, immaterial or lacking impact, is not true. The party strength comes not only in the numbers of voters it has but the type of leadership it provides. Being as stuck up, haughty, prideful and seemingly high-handed as Norton is not the appropriate approach to have when dealing with people who have resigned or deflected from the party for whatever reason.
Thirdly, it seems as if Norton is not getting a hold of running the party and its membership. There is no unity, endless bickering and strive. If there was discontent and marginalisation faced by party members in 2021, then it has gotten worse now in 2025. If there was worry about leadership and meritocracy in 2021, then there is concern about the same in the party now.
These resignations, deflections and withdrawals won’t destabilise the party now, but they would affect the party in the long run closer to elections.
Norton has to come to grips with the fact that he is no maximum leader. He depends on the party’s membership to exercise control over the party’s rank and file. He must first fix the PNC/R before entering any perceived alliance or broad coalition with other parties. This is precisely what the other parties are talking about when they said that the party treats other partners without respect and mutual understanding.
An entity is weak when its membership is hurting and there is discord. The PNC/R has been hurting and pining away because of unresolved tensions and disrespectful disagreements like those of Ally, Kissoon, Dawn Hastings, and Geeta Chandan-Edmond. There are more PNC MPs that the leader should reach out to, but hardly ever engages like Roysdale Forde.
The PNC/R must find a way to deal with this new wave of personality conflicts and differences because it is unhealthy.
Fourthly, the PNC leader must do some introspection. He must stop and take stock of his actions and non-actions, and the way he is perceived. If he does not, then he is the problem because he keeps doing the same thing and engaging in the same behavioural pattern and getting the same results.
Finally, opposition politics are very different and complex. They are strange and very peculiar. They are not stagnant but always retrogressing, progressing or changing. The PNC/R as an opposition is showing the signs of a party in retrogression and decline. It may seem like it is progressing on certain things, but it is taking steps backwards.
Norton has to step up his game and hold the bull by its horn. He has to lead the PNC/R and all of its members. Norton must muster up the courage to start ruffling feathers even in his own circle, bringing discipline and respect for elders back. He must put an end to factionalism and disunity or must part ways with the party after the elections.