Rift widens in PNCR -top members set to resign

By Jomo Paul

Former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) stalwart Clarissa Riehl has signalled her intention to resign from the party, contending that it has lost direction under incumbent David Granger.

According to Riehl, she was by default not a member of the party for the past two years, but recently renewed her membership with hopes of being able to bring change within the party, but regrets the decision. When asked if she intends to resign, the former Deputy Speaker responded: “I do, I intend to disassociate myself completely.”

Riehl, speaking to reporters outside of Congress Place, registered her disgust with the state of affairs of the PNCR. She said she has not set foot in Congress Place for the past two years because she did not “like the climate”.

“The incumbent always wins whether by manipulation or otherwise and that seems to be the name of the game… there cannot be any fair contests with an aspiring person,” said Riehl.

Riehl also criticised Granger’s leadership methods, confirming that he was too “aloof”. She pointed out that any other PNCR Leader would have seen it fit to engage the distraught Lindeners and persons who were not allowed access to the Congress, but Granger did not.

“At the said time, Granger was standing with some of his senior men and his bodyguard drinking ice water… he should have been at the helm,” Riehl, a former Magistrate, now a practicing Attorney said.

She said she went to vote for Aubrey Norton to lead the party because she feels it was a wise idea for the party leader and the presidential candidate to be two different persons.

List padding

However, the voting process was marred by allegations of “list padding” by a member of the Accreditation Committee, which gifted Granger the party leadership after Norton pulled out in protest of the rigging. The PNCR leaders have a unique distinction of rigging both the national election and their internal elections.

Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) National Secretary Adel Lilly told Guyana Times International that the Committee met for the first time on Saturday, but were not allowed enough time to vet the Voters List that was presented to them. Lilly said “from all indications, the list was padded”, explaining that the lists from several regions had “too many” delegates.

When asked what his next move was, Lilly said that he was quitting the party as he bemoaned the death of democracy under Granger. “I cannot support such an organisation that will go into elections that is calling for democracy to be acknowledged in the country and not even doing it in the party.”