Four more former PNCR central executive members have been summoned to respond to charges by the party’s disciplinary committee bringing the total of those summoned to nine with three still to be called.
To date, none of them have appeared before the committee. Stabroek News understands that the recent summonses were sent to Joseph Hamilton, Hamley Case, Andrew Hicks, and Ivor Alleyne and they are to respond by tomorrow or they must attend a hearing on January 26.
In an invited comment, Hamilton told this newspaper that as a party member, he does not recognize the party’s current leadership since he believes that the congress was invalid. As such, Hamilton said, the current leadership has no jurisdiction over him. “Whether I would just show up to say that to them or ignore the letter – that I will think about. I have not come to a position on that matter,” he added.
The letters, dated January 10, 2008, request the quartet to respond to their charges, by the secretary of the PNCR Disciplinary Committee, or meet the committee to defend themselves. It said too they may produce witnesses or documents when presenting their arguments.
According to the party’s constitution, the members were informed that they have the right to be assisted at the inquiry by a party member of their choice.
Though Stabroek News has not seen all the charges against the party members, the general charge for the quartet summoned was that on April 27, 2007, as members of “a group calling itself ‘Team Alexander’,” they issued a press statement in direct contravention of guidance given by both the Party Leader Robert Corbin and the Party Chairman Winston Murray. It said too that the statement would not have been in the interest of the party.
The summons was in keeping with a motion passed at the party’s biennial congress impugning them for misconduct. The substance of the motion was “an expression of lack of confidence” in them for actions incompatible with party membership. Vincent Alexander, Deborah Backer and Dr Dalgleish Joseph are still to be summoned.
Those who have already been summoned include former Region Three (West Demerara/Essequibo Islands) Chairman and PNCR-1G MP James McAllister, who is currently overseas; former Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM) Chairman of Region Ten (Demerara/Mahaica) Randy Nurse; former GYSM National Chairman Chiyedza James, former GYSM executive member Juliana Gaul, and former GYSM Vice Chairman Peter Livingstone.
The Committee had written to McAllister twice but Stabroek News could not ascertain whether he had responded, by letter, or whether a settlement has since been reached.
To date, none of those summoned to three different meetings have met with the Committee. On one occasion one member was represented by a party member who is an attorney-at-law.
The former GYSM executive members have all requested more information on the charges since they believed that they were too vague for them to adequately represent themselves.
The members who have been summoned supported Alexander, who campaigned publicly against the Party Leader Robert Corbin, for the position of Leader in the run up to the party’s biennial congress last July.
