Dear Editor,
It makes for quite interesting politics when men who for decades were alien to local politics decide that it is time they wave their magic wand and become leader of the PNCR.
What is disgraceful at this moment is that the contenders appear to be making their various public advances at a time when the incumbent, Robert Corbin, is recuperating from recent illness. None took time in their many interviews and statements to even wish the incumbent a quick recovery. In sports they would refer to this behaviour as unsportsmanlike; in politics they might call it political insensitivity. Party members, the people who will vote to elect their leader, are likely to retaliate through the ballot. Mr Van West Charles, in particular, must take note.
I heard about Mr Van West Charles’s interest in becoming leader of PNCR but never in my wildest dream, did I think it true, until I began to read his various statements in the local print media. I believe strongly in democracy and agree that anyone should be able to contest for leadership of the PNCR, but what I reject is an attempt to recycle political misfits.
Mr Richard Van West Charles served in the Burnham administration as Minister of Health, and his track record in that office remains a mystery.
It is out of sync with commonsense and progress that the membership of the party would elect him to lead them. Can Mr Van West Charles identify a single national project or health policy he initiated and which positively impacted the lives of citizens?
Furthermore, what has he done to improve the lot of PNC after that party lost elections in 1992? It is unacceptable for these men to decide that they can promote themselves for leadership without accounting for their past stewardship. It is the same kind of accountability that he, Van West Charles, is now calling for.
This PNC former Minister of Health seems to have a lot of ideas about what can be done to improve the PNCR and make the party more effective; I wonder how many of these ideas he shared with the current leadership? I have noted that Mr Van West Charles in many of his public utterances stated that the party electoral process needs to be overhauled. I suspect this will be the line used to cry ‘foul’ when the incumbent defeats him.
It is a pity Mr Van West Charles believes that he cannot contribute to the development of the PNCR as a member, only as the leader, I wish him well, and as he said, the will of the people must prevail at the congress. I can assure him it will.
Yours faithfully,
Alden Seargeant
….so your past will eventually affect you future right???
You bet ya sandhurst it is called Karma, and my good man Jagdeo and his cohorts should pay attention.!!!
Recidivism.
You can bet on one thing, Jagdeo doesn’t want corbin to go anywhere because he could not have found a better padna in corbie
I thought the idea was to unshackle the past and move forward? if we’re gonna go back and blame politicians for past transgressions, then we will find a lot that many of the PPP stalwarts are guilty of.
Blaming is a waste of time but accountability and being contrite is something that is lacking big time in Guyana.
When have you ever heard a politician in Guyana apologize for anything?
remind me maybe i forgot.
I believe Nazis who committed atrocities during Hitler’s reign are still being hunted down and made to pay for their crimes. John Demjanjuk is about to catch hell in Germany for his crimes. Politicians should not be allowed to screw the country walk away scott free.
this man was health minister let he account before giving he anymore resp. for guyanese. yes account for your stewardship
True patriots of Guyana look forward to the demise of the two leading parties. These two parties are responsible for all that ails Guyana and have used their ethnic based strangleholds to perpetuate never ending conflict. The faster the day comes when these parties no longer exist, the earlier Guyana’s nightmare shall come to an end. Cosmetic changes at the leadership level will not do, the cancers have spread and metastasized. It’s time for euthanasia.
You are right on the money!! the PNC and the PPP are responsible for the destruction of Guyana plain and simple.
So true but the majority of the guyanese populace don’t see this.
The younger folk are being indoctrinated by their parents. I hear young people born and raised in North America spouting the same racial hatred that they learnt from their parents!
the belief that the pnc and ppp will wither away is utopia, just like the dnc and the gop in the us will remain the major parties. what has to happen is that those parties must undergo meaningful change and the political environment all over the world continues to evolve
Van West Charles is actually obsessed of being Leader of the Opposition. He has no interest of working from the bottom. He never did and never will. Don’t forget he did not earn the Minister of Health position- it was handed to him.
After Burnham died as if Van West died – he vanishes, he was out of touch. Good question why Van West Charles cannot contribute as a member only if he became Leader?
so is all other position, all was given to them.
I am not so sure that he is not interested in working from the bottom up.
Listen the PHENC has no leadership right now, we can debate that from now till the cows come home but Corbin is no leader he and jagdeo are a pair made in heaven.
Baby jesus has his own issues he will have to deal with but to say the man is not interested in working from the bottom is nonsense. The fact that he has moved back to GY and is getting involved is a lot more than many people would do.
I still think he needs to be contrite come forward and apologize for the crimes committed during the PHENC reign but to say he is not prepared to work from the bottom is hogwash.
What about the criminals who burnt the unripened cane fields thereby impoverishing the nation during the ’70’s? Should they too not be held accountable for their past Stewardship?
arent you supposed to burn canefield?
You sure they werent trying to chase out couple snake and rat?
He can lead the PNC, but nobody but the PNC cares about this jumping around like the Sophia Declaration to nowhere.But he will never will be accepted to lead Guyana.
Again anyone voting for the PPP and or the PHENC next election needs to get dere head checked.
I am not that intrested in the PNC OR THE PPP. Guyana needs to get away from the party and support one great/good person and that person will change his party and country.