Well, your Eyewitness knows that Congress Place out in Sophia ain’t exactly a “palace” – but it was the best the PNC comrades could build when Burnham exhorted each member to buy at least one brick from his clay-brick factory to replace their building on Camp Street that had been “mysteriously” torched!! But the expression “palace coup” describes what seems to be going on over there: a faction of the ruling group working to oust the present leader from within.
Your Eyewitness has already written about the sudden, rushed election of new office bearers of APNU – the fig leaf the PNC had created to hide its fangs. Norton says he wasn’t invited to the meeting and that it’s part of a plot to undercut his support at the upcoming PNC leadership elections. According to one report ,former General Secretary of APNU – “Lil Joe” Harmon – is behind this move. The fact that the latter had been forced to resign by Norton, back in 2022, might suggest there’s some truth to this assertion – since along with Granger, there’s a whole lotta beef between them after the 2020 debacle.
So what’s the latest goings-on on the Eastern (Sophia) Front? An old war horse, whose claim to fame goes back decades when she was in the PNC’s youth wing – YSM — but now resident abroad for half of those decades – weighed in. She declared, “Democracy is more than having elections; it is also about the credibility and integrity of those elections”!!! And suggested that Leader Norton’s been going around padding the PNC’s voters’ list – so to speak!! She claims he’s been creating new groups and inviting them to the Congress to vote for him!! Gasp!! This is outrageous!! How dare she suggest that any member of the PNC could even think of such a dirty deed?!! It just goes to show how far the rot has gone in the party. This statement would be treasonous if it were made about national leaders!!
What’s ironic about the accusation is that the accuser goes on to berate the present PNC General Secretary for not going out to form new groups!! She boasted that when the party had won the elections under the APNU/AFC banner in 2015, she‘d returned home and founded THREE groups in GT!! Imagine that!! Ain’t that like taking sugar to Albion?? When the PNC slipped back into office, folks were fighting to get a party card so they could share in the spoils – as in the days of yore!! And she admitted only two of the groups have lasted the course!!
Expect more fronts to be opened up as we come down to the stretch. Many can’t stand to see a street-man leading the PNC!!
…faithful
What Norton should’ve done once elected leader was to follow Burnham’s example after he formed the PNC – and had to watch his back. He, of course, remembered how he plotted to oust Cheddi from day 1 – even though he’d been given a squeeze into the PPP after returning from London as a newly-minted lawyer. In addition to banishing some competitors as Ambassadors, Burnham chose a solid, older respectable professional from the boons – Dr Ptolemy Reid – to be his consigliere!! As in the Mafia, such a henchman had to be completely loyal to the leader and not harbour any desire to take his place!!
Reid was the man who stepped in — even though he’s been retired – when Hamilton Greed…oops, Green!.. was roiling the PNC under Desmond Hoyte, because HE wanted to be leader. But hold it!! Maybe one of Norton’s rivals have enlisted an old-head to push their cause. Who could it be?? Hamilton Green, who keeps turning up like a bad penny?
Or Corbin? Forewarned is forearmed!!
…overrun
It’s not only politics is war by other means: in cricket, any game between India and Pakistan turns out to be WWIII!! So, they faced each other in Long Island of all places – and even the 119-113 scores favouring India was ballistic!!
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