The PNC was always a party that lies and cheats all the time. They can fool the people some of the times but they cannot fool them all the time.

The makeover became a bedcover

 Aug 02, 2020  Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom 0 Comments

The PNCR attempted a makeover after its devastating 2006 election defeat. This makeover created the façade of a democratic party willing to be more inclusive by entering into partnerships with other parties.
It was all a sham. There was nothing ever democratic about the PNC/R. Its plug for partnerships with other political parties was just a ruse to use those parties to gain political office.
The PNC, which had a notorious record of rigging elections from 1968-1985, had rebranded itself under Desmond Hoyte as the PNC/R. It again rebranded itself as the PNC/R1 to contest the 2006 elections.
Jagdeo dished out a sound thrashing to the party in the 2006 polls. As presidential candidate, he secured 54.7% of the votes, the highest percentage of votes ever and the largest electoral victory for the PPP/C ever.
Robert Corbin, the PNC/R1 G presidential candidate saw his party’s take a fall to under 35% of the total votes cast, the lowest ever since free and fair elections. The spoiler was the Alliance For Change, which secured just over 8% of the national vote, including more than 3,000 votes in the PNC/R’s stronghold of Linden.
After the crushing defeat, the PNC/R realized a number of things. First, it concluded that it could never win a free and fair election on its own. Second, it decided that it needed a new presidential candidate to further rebrand the party’s image. It also opted for a democratic mask and to attempt to put up a façade of a multi-party coalition.
The PNC/R’s search for a new leader led it to someone who was not known to be politically active within the party’s leadership. It opted for David Granger. He fit the bill as someone who was perceived as middle-class, intellectual and without any political baggage.
The party, however, also wanted to present itself as practising internal democracy. As such, it needed to have a competitive process of electing a leader. The PNC/R thus invented the process of having caucuses to elect a leader.
Granger was the choice of the leadership but he faced a formidable challenge from Carl Greenidge. A number of other candidates threw their hats in the ring. But the process was systemically rigged against them. The leadership had its poster boy and it also had control over most of the delegates. As such, the whole caucus exercise becomes window-dressing.
Granger and Greenidge squared off in the contest for leadership. It was a close race with Granger coming out victorious by the slimmest of margins. Within the PNC/R, there is a theory that the elections were rigged.
In support of this contention, it is pointed out that during the counting of the votes, when it was realized that Greenidge would win, a diversion was created. A gunshot rang out and in the ensuing melee, extra votes were put into the ballot boxes which allowed for Granger to win.
As is well known, the APNU did not win the 2011 elections. The AFC secured sufficient votes, however, to deny Donald Ramotar, a majority in the National Assembly. And the AFC held the balance of power.
The two parties cooperated in the National Assembly to frustrate the Ramotar presidency. They then joined forces as the APNU+AFC Coalition and successfully won the 2015 general and regional elections by less than 5,000 votes.
The PNC/R began to sideline its Coalition partners no sooner did it get its feet wet. Even the miniscule WPA complained that it was not being consulted and that the APNU was not meeting so that it could make an input.
The inclusive political approach was set aside. The PNC/R began its absolute domination of the government. Two examples show how emasculated were the other parties in the Coalition. The AFC could do nothing to prevent the instruction to have two columnists from the Guyana Chronicle removed. It could do nothing also to have one of its parliamentarians proceed with a private member’s Bill in support of decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana.
The AFC was treated like a flunkey. In the run-up to the 2020 elections, the PNC/R cut the number of seats, which was to be allocated to the AFC; it also tried to frustrate the AFC’s right to the prime ministerial candidate.
When the campaign started, Khemraj Ramjattan, was introduced as the Leader of the AFC and not as the prime ministerial candidate. After some protests, a concessionary announcement was made but the PNC/R still downplayed the prime ministerial candidate.
No one therefore should be surprised at the democratic unravelling, which took place after the close of polls on 2nd March, 2020. The PNC/R had long dropped its democratic mask and its approach to inclusive politics.
The makeover became a bedcover, which was discarded on 3rd March. And what was staring everyone was the re-birthing of a diabolic and dictatorial monster.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

No one was fooled by the PNC pretending to care about social cohesion. The PNC has always been about paramountcy. Their biggest problem is they never saw any value in earning peoples' confidence. 

@Former Member posted:

No one was fooled by the PNC pretending to care about social cohesion. The PNC has always been about paramountcy. Their biggest problem is they never saw any value in earning peoples' confidence. 

How could they have attained social cohesion when the President allowed a couple of his degenerates to demonized The PPP?

I grew wary of their plans in 2011 and warned members of the AFC that I don’t trust the PNC. I felt they were using the AFC to get into power and resurrect Burnhamism.

@Ramakant-P posted:

How could they have attained social cohesion when the President allowed a couple of his degenerates to demonized The PPP?

They never meant to attain social cohesion. That is why I said that no one was fooled. Throughout the PNC's 6 decades of existence, it is either their way or no way. When they are in government, they destroy the country from within and when they are out of government, they destroy the country through violence and destabilization. Over the past few months as the PNC continued to lose one case after another, Williams as well as others in the party have turned to their number one tool of making threats of violence if they are not given their way.

@Former Member posted:

I grew wary of their plans in 2011 and warned members of the AFC that I don’t trust the PNC. I felt they were using the AFC to get into power and resurrect Burnhamism.

That is exactly what I thought. You should have known better. 

The United Force under Peter D'aGuair was the answer to Guyana's Problem, but the People didn't seem interested.

@Former Member posted:

I grew wary of their plans in 2011 and warned members of the AFC that I don’t trust the PNC. I felt they were using the AFC to get into power and resurrect Burnhamism.

The PNC's bombastic behavior is partially responsible for them not winning the elections. They could have bought some more votes by firmly stating that Ramjattan WILL be the Prime Minister but Granger couldn't bring himself to making that assertion. The closest they came is his office giving a half spirited statement but even amidst that statement Gramger continued to proclaim that it was his constitutional right to chose his PM. I am firmly in my belief that had the Coalition won the elections Granger would have appointed Trotman and not Ramjattan as PM. When the dust is settled, the AFC would need to separate itself from the PNC if it wishes to repair its image. 

@Former Member posted:

The PNC's bombastic behavior is partially responsible for them not winning the elections. They could have bought some more votes by firmly stating that Ramjattan WILL be the Prime Minister but Granger couldn't bring himself to making that assertion. The closest they came is his office giving a half spirited statement but even amidst that statement Gramger continued to proclaim that it was his constitutional right to chose his PM. I am firmly in my belief that had the Coalition won the elections Granger would have appointed Trotman and not Ramjattan as PM. When the dust is settled, the AFC would need to separate itself from the PNC if it wishes to repair its image. 

Trotman is the Leader of the AFC.

@Ramakant-P posted:

Trotman is the Leader of the AFC.

I believe that Trotman is only externally the leader of the AFC. Were the AFC to separate itself from the PNC I expect Trotman to stay with the PNC.

Peeping Tom, In the absence of a suitable alternative, then everybody is devious. Because in the end, out smarting what counts.

Governing the country is not important, it is who is in control, good or bad. Progress is not measured. Complete domination.

I do not think Guyana ever had a government that behave like a government. 

@Former Member posted:

The PNC's bombastic behavior is partially responsible for them not winning the elections. They could have bought some more votes by firmly stating that Ramjattan WILL be the Prime Minister but Granger couldn't bring himself to making that assertion. The closest they came is his office giving a half spirited statement but even amidst that statement Gramger continued to proclaim that it was his constitutional right to chose his PM. I am firmly in my belief that had the Coalition won the elections Granger would have appointed Trotman and not Ramjattan as PM. When the dust is settled, the AFC would need to separate itself from the PNC if it wishes to repair its image. 

I don’t think Jhatt stood a chance.  Yes, I believe he would have chosen Trotman and kicked Jhatt to the curb. Jhatt and Trotman has acrimonious relationship in the AFC. 

@Former Member posted:

I don’t think Jhatt stood a chance.  Yes, I believe he would have chosen Trotman and kicked Jhatt to the curb. Jhatt and Trotman has acrimonious relationship in the AFC. 

Granger had a level of disdain for Ramjattan that didn't seem to be there with Nagamootoo. Maybe it was just that Granger was confident that the PNC rigging machine was fully operationalized and there was no need for folks in the AFC that he didn't have mush regard for.

I may be guessing, Granger do not look like a person who have had any close associations with any indians, in his entire life. Being President slightly opened up, and perhaps grudgingly. The man had his plans all along. It is razz to play to pry him out. 

@Former Member posted:

No one was fooled by the PNC pretending to care about social cohesion. The PNC has always been about paramountcy. Their biggest problem is they never saw any value in earning peoples' confidence. 

Granger is now infamous for his Orwellian doublespeak. It's a Burnhamite practice. Do you remember the PNC KNOWLEDGE SHARING INSTITUTE? People had to join queues for knowledge in the form of cooking oil, margarine, rice flour, bangamary fish etc.

Social cohesion is Grangerite doublespeak.

@Former Member posted:

Granger had a level of disdain for Ramjattan that didn't seem to be there with Nagamootoo. Maybe it was just that Granger was confident that the PNC rigging machine was fully operationalized and there was no need for folks in the AFC that he didn't have mush regard for.

Caribj, GNI poster felt the PNC can do it without the AFC. Maybe this was what he was referring to?

Let us not be fooled by this article. It is nonsense. The PNC will always be the Party for Afro Guyanese and some Douglas like Allan Fenty in Guyana. That will never change.  The PNC control the streets of the capital. That is a major and important advantage it has over other political parties.

@Former Member posted:

Caribj, GNI poster felt the PNC can do it without the AFC. Maybe this was what he was referring to?

Caribj's assumption was based on there are more blacks than Indians in the country.

@Former Member posted:

Caribj, GNI poster felt the PNC can do it without the AFC. Maybe this was what he was referring to?

What ever happen with that fella Caribj, he has contact with the guy from Surinam that is presume hiding in Guyana? He cut and run!

@Ramakant-P posted:

Caribj's assumption was based on there are more blacks than Indians in the country.

The PNC don't need the AFC.

@Former Member posted:

Granger had a level of disdain for Ramjattan that didn't seem to be there with Nagamootoo. Maybe it was just that Granger was confident that the PNC rigging machine was fully operationalized and there was no need for folks in the AFC that he didn't have mush regard for.

Granger knows that Jhatt was not enthusiastic for a coalition, it was Naga. So he was being gratuitous to him. He got what he wanted so Jhatt was just a goadie. 

@Ramakant-P posted:

Caribj's assumption was based on there are more blacks than Indians in the country.

This was the biggest mistake that the Coalition people made. They assume that race was the predominant factor in elections in Guyana and took comfort in the declining Indian population. To the PPP/C's credit they went out and appealed to people everywhere to look at them again. They even went into strong PNC strongholds and even being chased out of them did not deter their efforts.

On the other hand, the PNC dominated Coalition ran a vey lackluster campaign that was few and far between. It seems that the Coalition was not interested in appealing to the people to look at them again but instead put all their stock in the rigging machine. They learned the hard way that while their rigging worked in the 70s and 80 it can't work in today's information age world. 

@Former Member posted:

Granger knows that Jhatt was not enthusiastic for a coalition, it was Naga. So he was being gratuitous to him. He got what he wanted so Jhatt was just a goadie. 

If he was an astute politician he would not have disregarded the importance of his Coalition partners or the voters.

@Former Member posted:

If he was an astute politician he would not have disregarded the importance of his Coalition partners or the voters.

Banna, wake up.  The PNC had this plan a long time ago. I heard of it since 2011. Mingo even diverted statutory documents in a pre planned manner.  They had plans in-place in event they lose.  Now those plans are playing out. I believe however, they are a bit stung by the international response.