Former APNU+AFC MP Natasha Singh-Lewis last evening announced that she had joined Azruddin Mohamed’s party, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).
In a statement, Singh-Lewis said her decision came after what she described as careful consideration of WIN’s manifesto and leadership team. She described the party as “a beacon of hope” committed to inclusive representation and the upliftment of marginalized Guyanese.
She stated “After a careful study of the manifesto of WIN and a review of the team, I have decided to add my voice and strength as a woman in politics to the vision of Mr. Azruddin Mohamed,” she said. “I believe that he leads a party that rises as a beacon of hope, giving voice to the voiceless and power to the powerless.”
Singh-Lewis, who previously served in Parliament under the opposition APNU+AFC coalition, said her decision was shaped by a belief that Guyana remains stuck in a cycle of division under its two dominant political parties.
“We have journeyed fifty-nine years with the intention of attaining political stability, national unity and social and economic advancement for all Guyanese,” she stated. “Instead, we have lived and experienced a Guyana primarily under two major political parties where the cries of the oppressed and marginalized have too often been silenced.”
She said WIN’s political agenda resonated with her values of equity, justice, civic engagement, and youth empowerment. “We are at a crossroad where we must make a choice to empower voices to transform our society for all Guyanese based on the core principles of equity and justice, inclusive representation, a culture of compassion and solidarity, civic engagement and grassroot mobilization,” she said.
Singh-Lewis also pointed to the importance of education and equal opportunity in building sustainable communities, adding that her support for WIN was driven by her hope to help create “a more inclusive society.”
“The leadership of We Invest in Nationhood stands as a testament to the resilience and strength of oppressed and marginalized people,” she added.
Meanwhile, her endorsement of WIN marks a notable shift, as Singh-Lewis had previously served in Parliament under the APNU+AFC coalition and was a member of the PNCR since 2020. She had been actively involved with the party from as early as 2014.
Back in June, she submitted her resignation from both the PNCR and her parliamentary seat, citing feelings of being sidelined and undervalued under the current party leadership.
In a follow-up interview with Stabroek News, she said, “I no longer feel that I am valued in the PNC. I have been sidelined under Mr. [Aubrey] Norton’s administration and I don’t feel welcomed in the current structure of the leadership.”
She had also stated at the time that her resignation was not an act of defiance but a personal and professional decision made after consulting her family, constituents, and mentors.
Additionally, opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, when contacted at the time, rejected Singh-Lewis’s claims of being sidelined. “I won’t respond to that except to say that anybody who has been around knows nobody sidelined her,” he said. “She possibly sidelined herself.”
Norton said that Singh-Lewis had distanced herself from party activities out of loyalty to the late former PNCR General Secretary Amna Ally, stating that Singh-Lewis had indicated she did not want to damage that relationship by remaining politically active.
Her endorsement comes as WIN prepares to contest the September 1 general and regional elections. Mohamed, the party’s presidential candidate, has positioned WIN as a people-centred movement aimed at disrupting the traditional political landscape.
