PNC/R says report of motion to recall MPs ‘fabricated’

Disapproval from its wider membership on Sunday shortly after the News Room reported on a motion to recall Joseph Harmon and three other Opposition Parliamentarians from the National Assembly resulted in the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) withdrawing the motion.

Even though the party in a statement denied that there was no motion, multiple inside sources confirmed its existence but a decision was made at the last minute to withdraw it following backlash and pressure from inside and external members of the PNC/R.

“The reports in certain sections of the news media that a motion from its Party in Region #5 calling for the removal of four of its MPs are a total fabrication.

“No such motion has been submitted by Region #5 and no such motion has been discussed at the Party’s Central Executive Committee meeting on Sunday, January 30, 2022,” the PNC/R statement noted hours after the News Room article was published.

The motion, seen by the News Room, was reportedly signed by Carol Nurse Carmichael as the Regional Treasurer for Region Five and seconded by Angela Mc Donald as the Chairperson for the Paradise PNC/R group.

The motion called for the removal of Harmon, Ganesh Mahipaul, Natasha Singh-Lewis and Nima Flue-Bess.

After initial push back, there were moves to present the motion with Harmonʻs name only but that also did not materialize as PNC/R members and supporters criticized the move on social media.

Weeks ago, the Aubrey Norton controlled CEC decided that he (Norton) should go to Parliament given that he is now the leader of the PNC/R but the idea was met with resistance by Harmon and other serving MPs.

The issue is that although Norton is the leader of the PNC/R – the largest party in the APNU+AFC coalition – he is not a current Member of Parliament, but he could be, having been named on the coalition’s National Top-Up List at the 2020 elections.

He would have to be extracted from that list but although Harmon has resigned as Opposition Leader, he remains an MP which also means that someone would have to vacate their seat in the National Assembly to allow for Norton’s entry.

And so, the News Room was reliably informed that Norton is expected to meet with each ‘Top Up’ MP individually this week and ask which one of them is willing to give up their seat in order to facilitate his entrance to Parliament.

Former President David Granger is still the Representative of the List and holds the final authority to effect that Parliamentary reshuffle.

At the end of last week, there were talks of appointing an Opposition Leader from the current crop of MPs, blanking Norton in the process as the argument of urgency was made.