DEAR Editor,
As I look at the reports and letters in the major newspapers in Guyana on the recently concluded congress of each of the two key opposition parties in the country, the PNCR and the AFC, it seems unlikely that either of these parties or a coalition of the two will be able to replace the PPP in government in 2025, despite claims against the government of corruption and mismanagement of the economy.
In relation to the PNCR, the Stabroek News editorial, captioned “PNCR Congress”, June 30, 2024, notes that, in not acknowledging and addressing attempts to falsify the Region 4 results in the 2020 national elections and its subsequent actions, “its credibility (is) seriously compromised where the larger society is concerned”. Further, the editorial points out “Considering that APNU has been so insistent about the integrity of the national voters’ list, it is strange that Mr Norton has been so insouciant about his own party’s membership list”, a questionable list controlled by him and causing his two competitors to withdraw their candidacy from the recent leadership contest.
Kaieteur News in its “Dem Boys Seh” column of July 2, 2024, offers a similar take on the matter but reporting it in Creolese (Guyanese Creole). It states “Anybody coulda stand up and (at) the Pee N Cee Congress and seh, “Look, we mess up. We sorry… But nah, dem nah do dat… De whole country watchin’, waitin’, wonderin’ wah gon happen. But dem boys from Pee N Cee, dem nah budge. Dem stand firm in de wrong”.
At this time it is difficult to disagree with the conclusion in the Stabroek News editorial regarding the PNCR: “It can only be remarked that not having come to terms with the events of 2020, and now with the disorder in the party with accusations of a lack of accountability, democracy and transparency, the likelihood of it coming back to government in any form seems more remote than ever”.
In relation to the AFC, prominent Attorney, Mr Nigel Hughes, was elected leader and he has elicited strong criticisms from individuals of varying political stripes for saying he cannot comment on the Exxon deal and he would not break ties from his law firm – Hughes, Fields and Stoby – which represents ExxonMobil, unless he is elected to the government. He is quoted saying “…Right now, I can’t influence government and, therefore, it’s a theoretical conflict …” A most stinging criticism was carried in a letter in the Kaieteur News of July 2, 2024 by writer Alvin Hamilton under the caption “Is Nigel Hughes the ExxonMobil candidate?” The following excerpts from Mr Hamilton’s letter are concerning:
“Mr. Hughes’ relationship with Exxon is not just a mere association, but it’s a glaring conflict of interest. His law firm’s office in Houston, Texas, the heart of Exxon’s operations, is a stark reminder of where his loyalties lie…He cannot, in good conscience, position himself as a presidential candidate for the people of Guyana while simultaneously serving Exxon’s interests, even at this stage…These dual roles are fundamentally incompatible and betray the trust of the Guyanese electorate”.
Mr Hughes potential conflict of interest simply adds to the difficulties that the AFC will be facing in the next general election. In entering the coalition with the PNCR dominated APNU in 2015, the party broke one of its key founding principles, i.e to remain independent of the two major parties. Then in government, the party lost its independent voice, functioning as an arm of the PNCR and supporting every unpopular action of the government, including the closing of three sugar estates which drove thousands of workers into unemployment; refusal to accept the result of the No Confidence Vote against the government in December 2019, based on its now leader’s (Mr Hughes’) assertion that 33 was not the majority of 65; and supporting the illegal appointment of Justice Patterson as Chairman of GECOM.
In the United States, when the incumbent, President Joe Biden, launched his re-election campaign for 2024, he said to Americans “Do not compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative”. Now it’s questionable if that call will work for Mr Biden. However, in Guyana, such a call by President Ali to the Guyanese people may work for him and the PPP in 2025.
Harry Hergash