Amid a spate of high-profile defections from the opposition, PNCR and APNU leader Aubrey Norton on Friday pledged to enforce stricter screening processes to ensure that only committed, loyal candidates are nominated for elected office.
Speaking candidly at a press conference, Norton said the upcoming list of candidates for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) would feature new faces—but all would be “tested and proven” party stalwarts.
“What I can assure you is that most of the people on the PNC’s list will be tested and proven PNC persons,” he said. “When people aren’t tested and proven, then you cannot be sure of their commitment.”
His comments come at a turbulent moment for the opposition. Over the past few weeks, several former PNCR members have broken ranks to endorse President Irfaan Ali’s bid for a second term. Among them are attorney and activist James Bond, commentator Basil Blackman, Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram, Vice Chairman Samuel Sandy, and former MP Geeta Chandan-Edmond.
Their public endorsements—especially from Region Four, traditionally a PNCR stronghold—have raised eyebrows and concerns about loyalty and party cohesion.
Norton, however, struck a defiant tone. He confirmed that the party chose not to recall Chandan-Edmond from the National Assembly after she backed the government’s 2025 National Budget—an act seen by many as a betrayal. Norton explained that such a move would have likely backfired.
“It was felt at the time that there is not much to be had to go and recall Geeta,” Norton said. “The PPP would have portrayed it in their own way. We were well-aware of the direction but thought that it was not in the best interest of our party to go recalling her at the tenth hour.”
Reflecting on the past, Norton drew parallels with Charrandass Persaud, the former APNU+AFC parliamentarian whose unexpected vote for a PPP-sponsored no-confidence motion in 2018 brought down the coalition government. Like Persaud, some of today’s defectors had shown signs of wavering commitment for some time, he said.
According to Norton, Seeram and Sandy had not been active in party affairs since he assumed leadership of the PNCR. He dismissed fears that their departure would weaken the party.
“There will be no negative impact on the party,” he stated. “I don’t believe any of them can pull three votes. Our base and structure remain intact.”
He added that the 2025 elections mark a turning point: “For me, it’s an end of an era when we made bad choices in terms of the people we placed in positions.”
Norton also used the opportunity to critique the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), accusing it of exploiting defections for political gain. He argued that the endorsements from former PNCR figures signal desperation, not strength.
“They are clutching at anything,” Norton said. “As they try to appear to be a popular party, they were forced to put these as if they are some big events.”
PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo, speaking on Thursday, insisted that no promises of positions were made to the defectors in exchange for their support.
The political tide appears to echo history. In the 1970s and ’80s, the PPP lost notable members to the PNC, including Ranji Chandisingh—who would later become PNCR General Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister—and Vincent Teekah, a Minister of Education who was assassinated in 1979.
Now, in 2025, the PNCR faces a similar test of loyalty and resolve. But if Norton has his way, that chapter will soon be closed.
