PNCR/APNU leader shrugs off more defections to PPP

Last Updated on Tuesday, 12 May 2026, 22:26 by Writer

People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader, Aubrey Norton on Tuesday downplayed the defection of more persons from his party and the parliamentary opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC).

He said most of them had some time signaled that they would be joining the PPP and so he was not surprised about their move.

“Everybody is free to go to whichever political party they want to go but even Stevie Wonder (a blind American singer) would have seen that that group was preparing to go to the PPP from the time most of them weren’t seeming to become members of parliament,” he told Demerara Waves Online News.

Quizzed on whether he had seen early signs of disloyalty before nomination day, he demurred. “I wouldn’t speculate on those things. You deal with people based on the reality before you and you never know the mind of people,” he said.

In less than five years, the PNCR and APNU’s haemorrhage has seen James Bond, Jermaine Figueira, Geeta Chandan-Edmond, Richard Van West Charles, Daniel Seeram and Samuel Sandy joining the PPP.

Mmes Dawn Hastings, Natasha Singh and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley became executive members of the main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN).

Asked how he intended to stop or curtail defections from his party, he said that was expected to be the challenge facing parties out of State power for some time. “When you’re in opposition for a while that happens. Don’t forget when we were in government – the PNC – many PPP people came and, of course, there are two different things. There is a difference between going to a political party based on principle and ideology and going for whatever personal reasons. You can’t stop people from going for their personal reasons,” Mr Norton said.

Responding to critics who might say under his leadership the party has been bleeding profusely, the PNCR leader said there had been problems during his tenure like any other leadership.

He did not accept responsibility for the choice of Mr Daniel Seeram as Chairman of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and others who subsequently hopped over to the PPP. “There are many people I didn’t choose that went so it’s a reality you have to face. We will just continue to organise ourselves and move forward,” he said.

Mr Norton’s position came shortly after the governing PPP issued a statement and a picture boasting that seven persons, including former PNCR Chairman Shurwayne Holder, his father Prince Holder and Ravoldo Birbal had now embraced it .

Asked whether he was disappointed particularly by Mr Birbal’s decision in light of his confidence in his political potential, Mr Norton said “I would say he is young, inexperienced and anything is possible in such circumstance.”

The PPP’s announcement that those former and current PNCR/APNU supporters were now part of its political fold came one day after former central executive member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Dr Aubrey Armstrong says efforts must be made to assist party supporters or risk losing them.

“You have to take care of your people. You have to find ways of feeding them and so on. If not, you open the door for somebody else to poach them,” he said during his commemorative lecture for former PNCR Leader and President of Guyana, Desmond Hoyte.

For its part, the PPP said in a statement that, “During the meeting, the group expressed to the General Secretary a desire to be associated with the People’s Progressive Party and to contribute meaningfully to Guyana’s ongoing development, while serving the interests of the Guyanese people, as the country advances along an unprecedented path of economic growth and modernisation.”

The elder Holder, Mr Birbal, Sheik Yaseen, Prince Holder and Gangadai Lloyd are current APNU regional councillors.

Though they are now PPP supporters, there is now law that allows the Representatives of Lists of Candidates to recall regional councillors.

The other defectors are former APNU+AFC parliamentarians Deonarine (Ricky) Ramsaroop and Pandit Dinesh Jaiprashad.

Mr Ramsaroop parted ways with the Alliance For Change (AFC) in mid-2025 and embraced the PNCR-led APNU for last September’s general and regional elections.

Mr Holder, as PNCR Chairman, became disgruntled after he was not picked to be among APNU’s 12 parliamentarians after last year’s general and regional elections.

By his public pronouncements and appearances on social media in recent months, it was clear that he was leaning towards the PPP.

The PPP said the seven persons met with its General Secretary on Tuesday “at their request” and described the ruling party’s “openness as welcoming and contrasted the current political atmosphere with their previous experiences.”

“They observed that the Party’s manifesto outlines plans that have been, and continue to be, vigorously pursued, resulting in tangible improvements in the lives of Guyanese and communities across the country,” the PPP said.

The PPP said the group praised the party’s stewardship of the economy, inclusive approach to governance, and the scale of transformation taking place across the country.

“They noted that the PPP has demonstrated the leadership, capacity and technical expertise required to effectively manage the country, sustain growth, and improve the welfare of every Guyanese, regardless of race, religion, or any other differentiating factor.”