HGP Nightly News – People’s National Congress Reform Leader Aubrey Norton is dismissing concerns that recent defections from his party signal a deeper crisis, insisting that the PNCR’s core remains strong despite some members moving over to the People’s Progressive Party.
Speaking exclusively with Nightly News, Norton said he was not formally notified by the councillors who left the party, but claimed their public statements and conduct had already made their intentions clear.
According to Norton, the defections did not come as a surprise. He said it became obvious that some members were preparing to leave after they realised they would not be heading to Parliament.
“From the time some of them heard that they weren’t going to go to Parliament, that was the issue,” Norton said.
He argued that some persons did not enter politics to serve people, but were instead looking for personal openings. When those opportunities did not come, he said, their departure became inevitable.
“They didn’t come to serve people. They came for opportunities, and there wasn’t the opportunity,” Norton stated.
Asked whether he would describe those who crossed over as opportunists, Norton said he did not want to place that label on anyone. However, he maintained that their actions suggested they were moving toward whatever opportunities they believed they could gain elsewhere.
He added that every Guyanese has the right to choose which political party or political project they want to support, and those who left the PNCR were free to do so.
Norton also pushed back against suggestions that the PPP was actively taking away PNCR members. He argued that Guyana’s political history shows that people often move toward whichever party appears to have access to power and resources.
He recalled that when the PNC was in government and appeared politically dominant, persons from the PPP moved toward the PNC. Norton said the current situation is different because the country now has oil money, and the government has significant resources at its disposal.
“The government has resources at its disposal. It is using it. And so, that is the reality,” he said.
Despite the public fallout, Norton insisted that the PNCR remains politically intact. He said the party’s core support base continues to be strong and expressed confidence that the party can rebuild support it lost during the last election.
He attributed some of that loss to the emergence of a new political figure with resources, saying many voters were led to believe they would receive money at the end of the process. He claimed that expectation did not materialise, and that some supporters are now speaking out about it.
Pressed on whether he knew of any other councillors or party members planning to defect, Norton said no formal letter was submitted to him. However, he repeated that the actions and comments of some individuals had already pointed in that direction.
He also referred to comments by PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, saying Jagdeo indicated that the individuals had approached the PPP. Norton said that, in his view, this revealed their motives.
The latest defections have added fresh pressure on the PNCR as the party seeks to steady itself following recent political losses and internal concerns. Norton, however, is maintaining that the party remains firm and will continue working to regain ground.
