Norton says Van West-Charles wants to be middleman in pushing PPP engagement

Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton has dismissed reports of tension between him and his advisor Dr. Richard Van West-Charles but says his advisor wants to be the middleman in facilitating a meeting between him [Norton] and the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government.

There have been reports of some tension between Norton and Van West-Charles with the latter reportedly threatening to step down from his position due to poor communication and lack of consultation by the Opposition Leader.

Asked about these reports during a virtual People’s National Congress/ Reform (PNC/R) briefing on Tuesday, Norton first said that there was no apparent problem between himself and Dr. Van West- Charles.

He, however, assured reporters that he would raise Dr. Van West- Charles’ concerns with the Central Executive Committee (CEC) of the party later in the day.

“Mr. Van West Charles has been pushing for me to engage the PPP through him.

“And I made it clear to him that I cannot engage the PPP without a decision of the Central Executive,” Norton highlighted.

According to Norton, claims made by Dr. Van West-Charles that the CEC has not been meeting regularly are untrue.

Meanwhile, Norton is expected to meet with President Dr. Irfaan Ali sometime soon on constitutional matters.