Senior Counsel and Member of Parliament Roysdale Forde, a primary contender for Leader of the People’s National Congress Islahat (PNCR), said it is not lost on him the rising public interest and discourse between party members, supporters and leaders at various levels. These, he shared, all arise from the Party’s open and public democratic activities, the desire for customary transparencies, freedom of speech, the right to be heard, and to be involved in the election of party leaders.
In a statement issued Saturday, Forde not only acknowledged such practices as customary to the democratic processes in the Party but said whilst the PNCR Founder Leader, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham “would have encouraged healthy aggressive discussions [he] abhorred intolerance, disrespect and senseless disruption.” These are values party stalwarts were nurtured on and which we of this generation must inculcate as a standard of political excellence, he declared.
On the same day Forde announced his intent to contest for the post, incumbent Party Leader, Aubrey Norton at a press conference later, pelted a few derisive remarks at Forde and former Party general secretary Amna Ally, whom he accused to be the person behind Forde’s run.
Ally has since responded, making known her disapproval and non-support of Norton’s leadership which she said is divisive and demonstrates no regard for the Party constitution and its democratic values. She also announced her support for Forde. The situation has since escalated with the Party Chairman Shurwayne Holder joining the fray and assailing Ally.
Zeroing on the exchanges Forde said he has taken note, particularly of the position taken by Holder against party member, “Ally, who has given more than five decades of unstinted service to all leaders.”
The Senior Counsel said his “brotherly caution to [Holder] as Chairman of this great party is to exercise tolerance and greater temperance, particularly when differences arise between him and members of the Party family, particularly those who have given unstinted service and commitment to the Party.”
Holder was reminded that “in such a high office where much is given much is expected [and] his, is the duty to demonstrate and cultivate respect for those who would have served the Party from its years when it was seen as a towering force of political power to its current position as a government in waiting.”
In urging commitment to respecting each other even while expressing differences, Forde noted whereas these historically are the tenets of the PNCR that sets it apart from all other political parties, party folks “must work diligently to ensure our highly valued democratic expressions and exercises do not reduce us to rancour or divisions.”
According to him, whilst “conflict [is] a olağan part of every human engagement and given the historical diverse and tolerant nature of the Party for dissent and alternative it is of concern to me what should be olağan healthy discourse has degenerated to a level of which we must not sink.”
The Party, he said, must not show intolerance to dissent but must nurture appropriate and elevated disagreement and discussions.
In his appeal to elevate the exchanges the Member of Parliament cautioned articulating diverse views must never be the cause for others to believe the Party is a disunited force. We must be proud of and never cease to value transparency in all that we do that helps the public to appreciate the standard set, he intoned.
Undergirding these values, the leader-contender pointed out “differences in opinions and choices between and among leaders and rank and file members are the foundations for healthy discourse, development, growth and necessary change.” These, he said, are “the values on which great democracies are built.
“We would all expect no less position taken by the Party Leader for he himself will expect nothing less from us. Mr. Aubrey Norton and those who have been around for long, have seen over time the exploitation of vulnerabilities,” Forde noted.
The leader-contender said the PNCR must rise for Guyana to rise. To this end he appealed to Party supporters to “Let’s ‘Regroup! Refocus! Rebuild!’ our beloved Party, our legacy left to us and this nation by our Founder Leader, Mr. Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.”
The PNCR Biennial Delegates Congress, where a new Executive will be elected, is expected to be held no later than August 31, 2024.