Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Aubrey Norton, emphasized the importance of collaboration with other parties to enhance the PNCR’s chances in the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections. He made this statement during a flag-raising ceremony at the party’s Congress Place headquarters in Sophia, Georgetown, which celebrated the party’s 70th anniversary.
Norton expressed confidence in the party’s potential for victory, saying, “I do believe that this party, in collaboration with others, is well placed to win the next General and Regional elections. And we must all commit to working assiduously to ensure that victory,†as captured in a video shared on the party’s official social media platform. The event, however, had a low turnout, with only a few attendees who applauded Norton’s remarks. The party’s General Secretary, Sherwyn Benjamin, was noted as the sole other speaker during the ceremony.
In addition to discussing the party’s electoral prospects, Norton provided a brief overview of the PNCR’s history, highlighting its formation when founder Linden Forbes Burnham split from the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) led by Dr. Cheddi Jagan. He announced plans for a meeting to formally ratify the party’s origins.
The PNCR previously allied with various parties, including the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and the Justice for All Party (JFAP), to establish the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) back in 2011. Additional small parties joined APNU in 2021. The coalition had merged with the Alliance For Change (AFC) for the 2015 elections, achieving victory, but lost in the 2020 elections. The AFC officially severed ties with the APNU in December 2022, although both parties agreed to work together in parliament.
In the lead-up to the party’s Congress last year, Norton faced challenges to his leadership from Amanza Walton-Desir and Roysdale Forde, SC, both of whom withdrew their candidacies just a day before the event. The PNCR has been experiencing internal turmoil, marked by the resignations of several prominent members. Dawn Hastings-Williams, the General Secretary, resigned last year, citing concerns over financial accountability. Her resignation followed that of Geeta Chandan Edmonds, her predecessor, and party treasurer Faaiz Mursalin, who also raised similar issues regarding financial transparency.
Norton is currently contending with serious allegations from former Member of Parliament for Region 10, Vanessa Kissoon, who accused him of threatening her with rape at gunpoint. Following these claims, a group of senior PNCR executives, referred to as the Council of Elders, was tasked with investigating the allegations, though the current status of this investigation remains unknown.
