Harmon resigns as parliamentarian

Last Updated on Saturday, 5 March 2022, 12:30 by Denis Chabrol

Mr. Joseph Harmon has resigned as a parliamentarian for A Partnership for National Unity++Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC),  well-placed sources confirmed on Saturday.

The resignation  was submitted to House Speaker Manzoor Nadir and a copy was provided to Representative of the APNU+AFC  list of candidates, David Granger. “I have given this decision my deepest thoughts and am of the view that it is in the best interest of the APONU/AFC coalition and the people of Guyana that I resign this seat,” he said in the resignation dated February 8, 2022.

Mr. Harmon’s resignation takes effect March 15, 2022.

Sources said he decided to quit parliamentary politics because of “personal reasons” but Demerara Waves Online News/ News-Talk Radio Guyana 103.1 FM because he coming under constant attack and objection  in a constant back-and-forth over performance and responsibilities while the coalition had been in power from 2015 and 2022. Sources said that Mr. Harmon believed that his contribution was no longer “weighty enough” to make a difference.

Mr. Harmon’s decision to exit parliamentary politics in its entirety comes less than two months after he had stepped down as Guyana’s Opposition Leader several weeks after he had lost his bid to be elected leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), the largest party in the coalition.

With the resignation of Dr. Nicolette Henry as a parliamentarian with effect March 31st, 2022, PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton appeared cautiously optimistic that he would enter the National Assembly. That is regarded as the first step to him succeeding Mr. Harmon as Opposition Leader.

Mr. Norton sought to dodge direct questions about whether he had first expressed a lack of confidence in Dr. Henry prior to her resignation in an effort to have her removed from the House.

Meanwhile, the PNCR Leader is in the United States for a meeting with the North American Region and possibly talks with officials of the United States State Department. Accompanying him are two PNCR parliamentarian.