THE Leader of the Opposition Aubrey Norton led a team of nine Opposition Members of Parliament from the APNU and AFC, other Opposition politicians and IPADA-G to Washington, United States of America.
They arrived for the ‘Washington Conference on Guyana’, and were expected to meet with several high-powered officials from the Biden Administration, inclusive of the Congressional Black Caucus.
This was Norton’s chance to meet leaders in person whom Rickord Burke had promised on various political programmes and calls. He, along with the other MPs, met with what turned out to be ‘anybody’ who wanted to listen to them complain, ad nauseam, about the alleged situation in Guyana. Soon, the conference turned largely into a political event, and dealt with the Opposition’s contention that there is allegedly widespread racism and discrimination on the basis of race.
It even purported to have a motion that sought to set out suggested actions that should be taken to improve and promote inclusivity and good governance in Guyana. This motion, then, would be sent to the US Congress for further action.
For Norton, the trip was successful, and provided the Opposition with opportunities to engage the US in political dialogue.
Firstly, Norton is an embarrassment to Guyanese and this country. Surely, he knows only too well that he can say the same things in Washington from Guyana while rocking back in the comfort of his house or office; they did not need to go to Capitol Hill or Washington to say the very same things that they say here.
Nothing new or groundbreaking was said to the persons whom Norton’s team met in the US, and no deal was made. No expression of support was given to him or his team. They left the US again empty-handed and poorer than they went.
Norton could have had greater influence at home trying to affect the domestic and international policies. Also, Norton and the team could have spent that time addressing issues that have their party, the PNC/R, on the brink of collapsing, as it is evidently divided.
They, as a team, were disjointed and incoherent. Just listening to panellists and MPs at the Conference, an objective person would come away with the impression that they could not be speaking about Guyana or its democracy, much less the respect for the Constitution or the Rule of Law.
Guyanese who follow politics were disappointed in the Opposition Leader, and this was exacerbated by the fact that the press and social media coverage they received at home and abroad was poor.
Secondly, the conference was a mess from the very start. It was poorly organised, and appeared to lack political spark. Apart from the dullness of Norton, it seemed like the other MPs were in the business of misinformation, misrepresentation and delusion of a generous nature. Listen to Amanza Walton-Desir, Ganesh Mahipal, Dawn Hastings-Williams and the very laughable Elson Low’s presentations of the various situations in Guyana. They were behaving like the information they gave in speeches and documents would not be searched, and the persons there did not have access to the World Wide Web.
It was a sham exercise in futility, because no one from the Biden Administration was available to meet with Norton and company. Not even the Senators and Congressmen or elected officials would be so bold as to say something negative about Guyana’s situation, except to ask for more information, evidence, and a statistical analysis which Cathy Hughes struggled to provide.
Anyway, it was clear that the Opposition was not expecting the people from the diaspora and the US to be so circumspect and thorough. The MPs did not have any evidence except a so-called dossier that has been discredited on deaths during the crime sprees that held Guyana hostage during the early 2000s period. Had someone asked for the winning SOPs, Norton and Forde would have cut their visit short and returned to Guyana.
Thirdly, this conference was proof of the resurgence of the influence and power of people like Burke, people with a few dollars in their pockets and a following, over the Opposition in 2023. Burke was infamously the star of the event, which featured businessmen who were sympathetic to his views and less to the Opposition’s position. It was for friends, family and favourites of Burke, and to a lesser extent the Opposition.
It was a desperate attempt at achieving relevance, window dressing and political imaging on important issues related to transparency, accountability, good governance, racism, discrimination and democracy.
No one is fooled except the MPs that went on that trip, some of them for the first time. The US and Guyana will continue their diplomatic, political and economic relations, and do even more business with this same very administration. It will be business as usual. The US recognises international law, and is Guyana’s equal before the law. The US is not the boss of Guyana, so Guyana is free to govern according to the tenets outlined in its Constitution by any democratically elected Government.
Finally, Norton is allowing himself to be led astray in his desperate search for the limelight and attention. He is suffering from a false sense of consciousness. Like the Founding Leader, he needs to undergo some introspection about who he has advising him in his circles. Burke and the others are seemingly waiting with their daggers for the PNC General Council Meeting, and the upcoming Congress, which will take place sooner or later than is expected.
This Washington Conference did absolutely nothing for the general concern of Guyanese living here, and was a PR stunt engineered by the brainbox that was behind the camera, Sherod Duncan, and in front of every engagement, Burke and his team.
Now the lights are out, and the cameras are gone, tell us who paid for the trip, failed lobbying, and will there be an audit?