The three high-profile bids for the PNCR’s presidential candidacy are being seen as an opportunity to resuscitate the party, which has been grappling with internal divisions and a loss of support.
Former party chairman Winston Murray, current Vice-Chairman Basil Williams and long standing member Brigadier (rtd) David Granger have all declared their interest in being the party’s candidate, following party leader Robert Corbin’s decision against running again. As a result, whoever emerges as the candidate would be the first person to be selected who is not the party’s leader, which has been the precedent so far.
Corbin has withstood two successive challenges to his leadership of the party but there was public fallout in both instances. In the case of the former, Vincent Alexander and supporters of his campaign subsequently left the party. They later supported Murray’s candidacy but that election also generated public acrimony. In addition to Alexander and his supporters, Murray’s bid to be party leader last year resulted in former Reform members, including co-founders Stanley Ming and Artie Ricknauth, indicating that they would be willing to return to work with the party under his stewardship.
In addition to internal divisions, the party also has to work to rebuild its constituency, after it recorded almost 50,000 less votes than it polled in 2001.
Activist and ACDA executive Eric Phillips was the former deputy leader of the PNCR’s Reform component, which was integrated into the party after most of its members left. According to him, the PNCR needs to unite and he believes that to the extent that the process to select a candidate would result in a consensus candidate it would benefit the party. He also said that with Corbin out of the running, there should be less acrimony over the acceptance of the results. “Once the process is over, it should help the party rebuild,” Phillips said, adding that at present there are three or four different groups “running around the country and saying different things”.
