Hopes for the 19th biennial congress of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR)

Dear President Granger and members of the Central Executive Committee of the PNCR,

Thank you for the beautiful invitation to the opening of the 19th Biennial Congress.

I know I should politely and quietly RSVP.

But the PNCR is in power.


I am terrified of how the PPP and PNC have dominated politics in Guyana, and dominated the consciousness of Guyanese.

I have seen how party paramountcy has contributed to the destruction of Guyana's potential. I do not have the spiritual or mental fortitude required to participate in any rituals which nurture that paramountcy.

I have hopes though for the 19th Biennial Congress of the PNCR.

A Child Protection Policy for the PNCR

The PNCR might not be aware that I am one of a group of Guyanese who have called for the replacement of Minister Volda Lawrence as Minister of Social Protection.

Minister Lawrence endorsed a candidate for the local government elections who faced unresolved allegations of child sexual abuse. The candidate has won his seat and is representing the PNCR. The allegations of child sexual abuse have not been resolved.

I understand that Minister Lawrence is a member of the Central Executive. There is an ugly history in Guyana in which the lives and well being of women and children are often second place to party politics.

It seems that abusers and violators of the rights of women and children have been able to find their way into the political parties, working hard for their parties and no doubt making themselves indispensable to the party.

There is a brutality in that women in the parties have been enforcers of the party over individual well being especially when it comes to child abuse.

Ironically, my first interactions with the PNCR and PPP were about dealing with gender based violence and child abuse.

I have learned from women aligned to the PNCR  (and the PPP) about their stories of survival - and of challenging 'keep it in the family/party'.

I have learned how some of women got help from the party, while others felt abandoned by their party when the abusers were more prominent.

I heard how women have learned how to avoid the abusers and where possible to keep an eye on the children.

I encourage the PNCR to develop a child protection policy so that its members and friends can understand that doing work to keep the party alive is no excuse for child abuse.
 

I would be happy to volunteer my services to the PNCR to develop the child protection policy.  It would require commitment to changing attitudes so that those who believe in the PNCR would also believe that it is not okay to beat children and it is not okay to have representatives with unresolved allegations of child abuse.

I realise that such a policy could be seen as a joke since the Party believes that Minister Lawrence did not err, and that the man accused of child abuse remains  a suitable representative.




PNCR and its young people

I have bored people with one of my favourite episodes during the 2003 advocacy to remove discrimination against sexual orientation. I still remember, the Durban Street PNC building, and the YSM organising the discussion because the young MP Lurlene Nestor wanted people to be informed.

The discussion was lively and I met many of the young people from the PNCR for the first time. They were all committed, and seemed very educated and active.

In 2016, I was saddened that none of the young people at those discussions have made it to Cabinet. Only one of them has a position.

Some of the people have migrated. Some tell me they work behind the scenes while others curse quietly as they cannot find the transformation they were expecting.

Perhaps the young people in the PNCR are not interested in a leading a party which is bound to warring against Jagdeo.

I do not know if the young people still have engagement on issues and have developed positions for the party.  I am horrified at some of the utterances of some of the prominent young supporters of the party which seems to imply that the party is paramount over any other issue.

I hear people complaining about loud music from Congress Place on holidays.   I am sure that the party will want to develop other  ways in which youth could disrupt the status quo, apart from loud dutty music on holidays.


I am sure that the Congress will achieve its objectives and that all the participants will feel fulfilled.  


Yours sincerely
Vidyaratha Kissoon