Former Finance Minister, Winston Jordan said Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Geeta Chandan-Edmond’s endorsement of President Dr. Irfaan Ali is a betrayal to the Afro-Guyanese whose votes made her a legislator. He made this comment during an appearance on the “Buxtonian Morning Time” hosted by Kidackie Amsterdam on Friday morning.
While saying that the MP’s move did not come as a surprise, Jordan noted that how she endorsed the opposite side was “reprehensible”.
“In relation to the latest hops, skip, and jump, which will be Ms Chandan’s, it is not a surprise. It was expected, and it came to the fore during the budget time. What I’m concerned about is if this is a new trend, because I don’t recall ever in the history of parliament itself that anybody, any parliamentarian would use the floor of Parliament to indicate their disaffection with their current party, and their endorsement of another party’s candidate in an upcoming election,” Jordan said.
The former Finance Minister said he ponders what the Coalition, but more specifically, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) could have done to deserve this betrayal.
Moreover, he said that while Chandan-Edmond is free to carve her own path in support of whomever she chooses, she dares to still retain the title that she earned from the PNCR/APNU of Member of Parliament.
“I asked myself what the coalition in general and the PNCR in particular did to Ms. Chandan for her to stick a dagger in the hearts of the PNCR. Nobody is saying that she can’t endorse who she wishes. Everybody has that right, but you’re telling me, oh, you’re telling me that a seat that you never won in a first-past-the-post, but was gifted to you by largely African Guyanese voters, that you will sit down – you don’t resign from the party, you don’t resign as a member of parliament – and then subsequently say I will be supporting X candidate in the upcoming election?”
Jordan declared the endorsement as a “sideshow” that only seeks to “bury” the good things that the PNCR has in store for the people of Guyana. He said that the PNCR must be aware of these distractions and forge ahead with its work programme.
