Dear Editor,
Much has been said and written about Mr Corbin’s leadership, and as a self-described political junkie, both in my native Guyana and for the past thirty years in my adopted home in North America, I am often amazed at the navel-gazing of PNCR members and supporters. If one were to take the criticisms seriously, one would believe that all that ails Guyana is due in large measure to his leadership or lack of leadership.
Those who continue to claim that the PNC could never win government with Corbin as leader seem to forget that Corbin has been leader for a relatively short period of time, while Mr Hoyte had been the leader of the party for just over seventeen years at the time of his death. I can’t recall the PNC under the leadership Mr Hoyte, an honourable man, most Guyanese would agree, being declared the winner of an election during this period. What was wrong with his leadership? Fellow Guyanese should not be misguided; the fundamental issue is not about leadership but rather about the state of race relations in Guyana.
Now that Mr Corbin has extended the olive branch in an effort to unite the party, I hope that the in-fighting will cease and the time and effort spent denigrating the leader will now be properly utilized to identify and condemn the rampant violations of the rights of Guyanese perpetrated by the PPP government.
On a related matter, women, historically have been the backbone of the PNC. Mmes Edith Bynoe, Winifred Gaskin, Margaret Ackman, Jane Phillips Gay immediately spring to mind. I hope the party executive would not rule out the possibility of a woman candidate. There are, currently, several women with a long history of political involvement with the party who ought to be considered in the selection/election process. Dr Faith Harding, a woman with years of political experience both locally and internationally, ought to be a serious contender – that is, if she’s interested or can be persuaded to compete with the boys.
Yours faithfully,
June Veecock
