Racist cabals now control AFC, PNC – Jagdeo

The two main opposition parties that make up the parliamentary opposition recently held congresses where members were elected to lead the party into the 2025 national elections.

Though the changes were merely rotational, both the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) and the Alliance for Change (AFC) elected only Afro-Guyanese to the top posts, and Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo Thursday raised concerns over the developments.

Responding to a question at his press conference, Jagdeo said the “all black leadership” occupying the five top posts in the PNC and similarly the top three posts in the AFC are nothing short of racist cabals.

He said the appeal is clearly to one race and he is not sure if persons of mixed or any other race may feel comfortable in the party. He said ordinary Afro-Guyanese who support these parties can also expect to be shelved.

“Which Guyanese would want to go into that party… you wouldn’t get help if you were an ordinary Guyanese

“Mixed people and those of other races don’t have a place there. It’s ridiculous… racist cabals now control and it is not a good thing for people with where the country is going,” Jagdeo said while reminding that ordinary Guyanese were forgotten when the PNC and the AFC were in government as a coalition.

“They have given up all the pretense that they have… to work across the board and work for Guyana.

“Look at what happened when they were in government for people in Linden,” Jagdeo said as he sought to remind of the neglect meted out to persons in the very strongholds of the party.

The Vice President said those who have misgivings about the recent developments are right because the parties no longer stand out at multi-ethnic.

“I doubt whether even Afro-Guyanese can find a comfortable place in the party… they have demonstrated that even ordinary Afro-Guyanese cannot get any help from them.”

In the PNC/R, Aubrey Norton was returned as Leader, Shurwayne Holder as Chairperson, and Elizabeth Williams-Niles and Vinceroy Jordan as Vice-Chairperson. Elson Low was elected as the new Treasurer.

In the AFC, Nigel  Hughes elected the new Leader while the Chairman of the Party is now David Patterson with Michael Carrington is the new Vice Chair and Raphael Trotman is the General Secretary.