GUYANA | Aubrey Norton Booted from APNU? Vincent Henry New Chairman? No meeting in over two Years?

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, June 8, 2024 - Guyana’s Opposition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has a new Chairman. He is the leader of the Guyana Action Party (GAP) Mr. Vicent Henry MP.

Mr Henry was elected on Thursday June 6, at an extraordinary meeting of the APNU, which had its first and only meeting in more than two years.

Tabitha Sarabo- Halley of the Guyana Nation Builders Party is the coalition’s new General Secretary.

This is said to be the first Executive Council meeting of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) being held since 25th January 2022.

Noticeably Absent was leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), Mr. Aubrey Norton, the major party in the Partnership. 

The partnership whose agenda focused on the way forward for the Partnership, said no excuse was received from the PNCR and the Meeting had commenced at 4:12pm. 

In a statement the partnership said all members of the Executive Council were invited.

The meeting determined that a new Chairman was necessary and the vacant position of General Secretary should be filled.

Those Reportedly in  attendance were Mr. Keith Scott, Leader of the National Front Alliance (NFA); Mr. Courdel Joseph, Member of the NFA; Mr. Vincent Henry MP and Leader of the Guyana Action Party (GAP); Mr. Errol Ross, Chair of the Guyana Action Party (GAP); Mr. Jaipaul Sharma, Leader of the Equal Rights and Justice Party (ERJP); and Mrs. Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, MP and Leader of the Guyana Nation Builders (GNB).

In the meantime, the PNCR in a statement this evening said the PNCR, which is the Chairman of the APNU, did not send out any notice for an APNU meeting nor any elections for that body.

According to the PNCR statement “What purports to be an APNU election is unauthorized and null and void. As is well known, the APNU has no General Secretary since none was elected after the resignation of Mr Joe Harmon.”

The statement went on to say that “the PNCR wishes to note that any claim that the PNCR was invited to a meeting is totally untrue, as we received no such invitation.”

“Moreover, there is no one with the ‘locus standi’ to send such an invitation. The PNCR remains committed to the necessity and principles of coalition politics in Guyana,” the PNCR Statement concluded.

A member of the APNU who spoke on the basis that his name would remain anonymous, said with Guyana undergoing so many challenges, the APNU Opposition organizationally needed to meet and to take certain critical decisions in the interest of the country.

He pointed to the Venezuela Issue which threatens the stability of the country yet APNU has had no meeting to deal with the matter.

He went on to point out the fragile industrial relations climate, particularly with the teachers, yet APNU is yet to meet to decide the way forward.

The APNU MP said Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton was not performing, and persons were afraid to speak out  lest they be publicly embarrassed and face the threat of being recalled from the National Assembly.

The question now remains, will the leader of the Guyana Action Party (GAP) Mr. Vicent Henry be the new Opposition Leader? Will Aubrey Norton step aside to accommodate the new APNU leader?

Mr. Norton was not available for Comments.

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