– Tells critics: Don’t mistake efficiency for scheming; websites can be built in 3 hrs
Former parliamentarian for the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Amanza Walton-Desir has rejected suggestions that she had been secretly planning the launch of her new political party, Forward Guyana, long before resigning from her party last week.
During an Globespan interview on Monday night, Walton-Desir dismissed claims that the swift unveiling of her party, complete with a functioning website, was evidence of prior plotting. Walton-Desir said the public should see this as a testament of her efficiency.
“We’ve worked assiduously since I’ve done that resignation, you know, I’ve heard people say, ‘oh, she got a website.’ ‘Oh, she clearly been planning this for so long,’ but you can use WordPress and build a website in three hours,” she stated, arguing that efficiency should not be mistaken for scheming.
Walton-Desir formally announced her resignation from the PNCR on June 18, just months ahead of Guyana’s September 1 General and Regional Elections and simultaneously stepped down as an APNU+AFC parliamentarian. Later that day, she revealed the launch of Forward Guyana during a press conference.
She told Globespan that the decision to form the party came only two days prior. The politician said this was done after “a lot of prayer and soul-searching.” She explained that her move was driven by a personal conviction to never diminish herself for anyone and what was required could no longer wait.
Regarding the future of her party, Walton-Desir hinted that a coalition with another force will soon be announced. She shared that her movement has attracted like-minded young people who are eager for a reform in Guyana’s political system.
While she was tight-lipped about the party’s prime ministerial candidate, she outlined her concerns about aspects of Guyana’s electoral system, adding that a Forward Guyana government will advance the necessary changes. She said, “I truly, truly believe that people must be able to run in their constituencies and win their constituencies.”
The presidential hopeful added, “This list system is problematic. It opens us up to too much manipulation, and opens you up to having to toe the line and to sing a song and a dance to hope that you get on the list, that is nonsense.”
