“How you vote is your business,” declared APNU Presidential Candidate Aubrey Norton on Saturday, in what appeared to be a strategic attempt to court thousands of part-time public workers—just months after branding many of them as “criminal elements” and tools of political manipulation.
Now on the campaign trail in New Amsterdam, Norton is pledging to raise the part-time monthly wage from $40,000 to $50,000, and provide training and education that would lead to permanent employment. He assured workers that no one would know how they voted, hinting at a climate of political pressure and fear.
The reversal is significant. Norton had previously criticised the PPP/C government’s part-time job initiative, calling it a political tool and even suggesting that the workers were used to stir unrest during protests earlier this year. Those allegations—following the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge—were strongly denied by the government.
Now, the same programme that APNU once condemned has become a key point in its own election messaging.
Launched by the PPP/C in 2022, the part-time job programme offers 10 days of monthly work in public offices and pays up to $40,000, targeting mostly rural and hinterland communities. To date, over 15,000 people, mostly women, have benefitted. President Irfaan Ali has consistently defended the programme as part of a broader agenda of job creation and economic inclusion.
Just last week, Ali reminded citizens that APNU had sent home thousands of workers during its last term in office and warned against trusting the opposition to protect livelihoods now. He reiterated the government’s commitment to transitioning part-time workers into full-time employment or small business ownership.
Norton, meanwhile, is promising the same people a better deal—despite previously questioning the integrity of the programme and its participants.
The opposition party’s pending manifesto, according to Norton, will focus on “putting people first.” Whether voters see this as a genuine shift or political opportunism will likely influence how much traction APNU gains in the run-up to the September 1 elections.
