Dear Editor,
I have seen the PNC relegate some of its brightest minds to the dustbin of obscurity. It appears that whenever the leadership of the PNC is challenged on internal issues affecting the party’s direction by a section of party officials and representatives, the leadership swiftly acts to remove dissent. This is done solely to preserve the status quo. Lost in translation are the merits and demerits of the reasons for which the challenge arises in the first instance.
One of the brightest minds within the PNC challenged the direction the leadership was taking the party and was publicly humiliated and called a creature created by the leader who had no right to an original and independent thought or opinion. The haemorrhaging continued with men of substance and intelligence leaving to form their own parties and some being forced out to find regular jobs lecturing at UG or working in other fields of endeavour. For some reason the public is made to believe that those ex party officials’ intentions were counterproductive to its longevity.
Meanwhile the leader and his loyal executives stand motionless as the Jagdeo administration rides roughshod over those in society that the PNC is tasked with the constitutional mandate to represent. No one within the ranks has the courage to tell the leader where he is at fault. The Lurlene Nestors of this world are no different to the Vishnu Bisrams of this world.
When one forgets about emptiness of party loyalty to a disloyal party and objectively examines cause and effect resulting from decisions and questionable actions coming from ex PNC members, we may begin to understand the true source of the problems; or a problem such as Phillip Bynoe. Bynoe once said to me that if Mr Hoyte puts a donkey to lead the PNC the entire party would support and follow blindly. Today, I have no reason to doubt or question his utterance. Just as I have no reason to support his stance that the Jagdeo Administration should be given the opportunity to rule for another term.
While one can sympathise with the depth of the differences between Bynoe and Corbin that began during the Burnham era or the alleged injustices that were meted out to Bynoe, personal enmity must not be manifested to interfere with the national good.
Perhaps, it is time to re examine the extinguishing of mo fyah/slow fyah by Corbin and look back at who led thousands through the streets of Georgetown in the final show of defiance against PPP dictatorship that resulted in the charge of treason against Benschop. Then ask ourselves why the u-turn by Bynoe into the arms of Mr Jagdeo. Corbin’s PNC is not without sin.
Yours faithfully,
Norman Browne
