Some members of a PNCR New York group are protesting an alleged violation of the process to select the party’s presidential candidate.
Members of the New York #1 Group yesterday objected to the culling of the list of nominees they had presented to the Regional Committee. “The members of the New York #1 Group strongly object to, reject and condemn the decision taken at the extended Regional Committee Meeting of the North American Region held on December 8, 2010 to jettison the list of groups’ nominees to four (4) instead of all the nominees on the Regional Priority List to be submitted to the Secretariat,” the group stated in correspondence to the Presidential Candidate Process Committee, which was copied to the media. The group’s statement as signed by Eustace Hall, its Secretary.
According to the group, the culling of the list of nominees was done “in the presence of and active participation and involvement of two members of the Presidential Candidates Process Committee” whose mission was only to observe the process. “Our Group contends and rightly so that that decision taken by way of a motion, which our delegate vehemently opposed, is in complete violation of articles 2.12 and 2.13 of the systems and procedures approved by the Central Executive Committee for use in the identification of the presidential candidate,” the message continued.
When Stabroek News contacted Convener of the Committee and party General Secretary Oscar Clarke yesterday he said he had “no comment” to make on the matter.
Further, the group stated, the action is tantamount to the “denial of the facilitation of maximum inclusion of party members in the process for the nomination of the presidential candidate.” “This partisan behaviour by a few to manipulate and subvert even this not perfect process is troubling and highly reprehensible and if not rectified immediately can further disunite the party. As a result of the foregoing our group is contemplating swift and decisive actions one of which is and not limited to, temporarily suspending contacts on this issue with the region until this matter is fully ventilated and amicably resolved.”
It concluded with a call for all members to act on the matter before the situation deteriorates. This newspaper published on Sunday a letter written by prospective presidential candidate Winston Murray before he died.
In the letter, addressed to Clarke, he questioned the apparent favouring by the party’s leadership for one individual for the presidential candidacy. Murray stated that party officials in some locations who had facilitated visits by his support team have been “lambasted by party secretariat personnel” and ordered not to facilitate such visits.
He said he found this “reprehensible if we truly believe in democracy and fairness.” Murray exhorted Clarke to act and stating that he believed the vast majority of the party’s members would be concerned that the system to identify the presidential candidate be beyond reproach both internally and nationally.
Meanwhile, the group which had backed Murray’s candidacy wrote Clarke on November 6, expressing concern with the move towards a Special Congress to elect the party candidate.
When contacted at the weekend, Ronald Austin, who is a part of the group, said their views remained the same; this being that a Special Congress was going to “rob the members” of a democratic vote. “One man one vote, that has always been our position,” he maintained. However, the party’s leadership has dismissed this as practical with Clarke and Corbin at the November 19 news briefing citing cost and logistical reasons as inhibiting factors.
