Dear Editor,

I refer to Mrs. Volda Lawrence’s letter captioned “There is a proper forum for party matters to be dealt with” (07.02.09).

Mrs. Lawrence named three forums where matters of the PNCR could be discussed, one of those is Congress. At the last Congress of the PNCR held in 2004, the membership did not appoint Mrs. Lawrence to represent them at the Central Executive Committee of the Party. However, Mrs. Lawrence was appointed to the Central Executive Committee by Mr. Corbin and she was later selected by Mr. Corbin to represent the PNCR at the level of the parliament. If that was not enough she was placed in the front bench.

I wish to also question why it is that Mrs. Lawrence feels that only persons that are existing members of the PNCR have issues relating to Robert Corbin and the functioning of the party. Anyone with a modicum of commonsense can tell that the PNCR under the leadership of Robert Corbin has become the weakest opposition party in our neck of the woods. Thousands of us brave citizens went out and voted for this party not because we felt the PNCR had the best leader but because we believed that it has persons with the right calibre that could lead this country. These persons are now being shunned by Mr. Corbin because they are bold enough to call a spade a spade.

Mrs Lawrence gave the impression in her letter that she knows who the authors of the letters are and as such she is reminding them of where they can air their concerns. If indeed she knows the authors why doesn’t she take her own advice and raise her concern at one of these forums instead of continuing the debate in the media. Her letter confirms to me that there are real problems in the PNCR and it is clear that the party membership sees Mr. Corbin as a visionless leader who needs to be replaced.

The PNCR is promoting itself as a democratic party and as such it should accommodate criticisms from its supporters even if it means criticising its leader.

Before I close, one question for Mrs. Lawrence. Can you tell the public what solutions were arrived at concerning issues raised by PNCR members at the previous General Councils and other forums of the PNCR?

Yours faithfully,

Dexter Haynes