As the fallout between the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC) grows, AFC member, Imran Khan has blamed APNU leader David Granger for excluding Chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Volda Lawrence.
Apart from being the Chairman of the PNCR, Lawrence is also the Head of the National Congress of Women – the PNC’s women’s arm and the Chairman of PNC Georgetown.
“The post-election treatment meted out to Ms. Volda Lawrence by her own People’s National Congress is unjust, unconscionable, and wrong. There is no sugarcoating it. Ms Lawrence was shockingly and unceremoniously denied a seat in the National Assembly. This is an egregious wrong which must be corrected post-haste.”
He added that “In Guyana, Members of Parliament are not elected directly by the people. They are, in fact, selected from a predetermined list, solely by the Leader of that list. In the case of the APNU+AFC Coalition, the Leader of the list is Mr David Granger,” Khan said.
Khan said that the use of the list system by the APNU leader is a recipe for “ineffective and decile Members of Parliament,” whom he noted would be primarily focused on remaining in the good books of the leader who chooses the parliamentarians.
“He who is willing to insert his head furthest up the nether region of the Maximum Leader of the list assures himself of a seat in the National Assembly, no matter how deficient incompetence or character he may be.”
“It is time that this crooked system which vests exclusive authority in the hands of a Maximum Leader be rejected by the Guyanese people. It must be replaced by a fair, just, and democratic system which allows for Guyana’s Members of Parliament to be directly elected by, and accountable to, the people.”
The AFC member called for the injustice done towards Lawrence to be corrected and must be restored to the National Assembly post-haste.
“It is as simple as that. Should this be resisted, the Coalition will suffer dearly the electoral consequences whenever elections are next held. Every day that it is not fixed, the Coalition’s political future is imperilled. Petty politics by an insecure, vindictive, and fading caudillo adopting a sanctimonious posture must not ostracize and banish capable, competent, and worthy leaders.”
However, this is not the first time Granger came under attack from members of his party for Lawrence’s exclusion. In fact, he was lambasted by PNC’s member, James Bond.
After being thrown out of office during the March 2, General and Regional Elections, the relations between the APNU+AFC coalition have been on a rollercoaster.
Besides, it has been marred by a number of resignations from the parties’ executives.
