Congress is the highest decision-making forum

Aug 12, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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It is not beyond the reach of the delegates to the forthcoming Congress of the People’s National Congress Reform to take action from the floor to ensure that all the concerns about transparency in the elections of the party are addressed.
Congress is the highest decision-making body of most political parties, the PNCR not excepted. As such, it is necessary that the delegates to that body recognise that it is them, more than the incumbent or incoming leadership, who have to play a critical role in defining the way forward for the party.
Will the delegates assert their importance? Or will they simply allow the agenda that has been set and the various reports of the leaders that will be tabled to dictate the direction of the party?
My mind goes back to the last Congress of the party and to the grand and triumphant entrance of party leaders Robert Herman Orlando Corbin and Winston Murray into the auditorium. The atmosphere was electric and there was dancing and the waving of hands and a standing ovation as the party leader and Chairman made his entry.
It was a different atmosphere when the then challenger to the leadership of the party, Mr. Vincent Alexander made his entry. There were quite a few catcalls and boos as he made his way into the auditorium.
Judging from that reception, it was safe even at that early stage to assume that the stakes were stacked against Team Alexander. It was not however the welcome that caused Team Alexander to subsequently withdraw from contesting the elections of the party. It was concerns over transparency.
There are similar concerns being raised once again as the party prepares for its congress later this month. Another controversial electoral process within the party will further emasculate the party from its membership and supporters and erode public confidence in the institution.
And this is why the delegates who will be attending the next Congress have to look beyond the candidate or candidates that they are favouring and consider the larger interests of the party. Because it matters not who becomes leader or who gets into the Central Executive of the party, if the party suffers a loss of confidence, it does not matter who emerges as the future leaders of the party. Any damage done to the credibility of the party will be irreversible.
There is still time available for the present leaders of the PNCR to make available to all party members, the full membership list of each group so that at least some verification can take place. Without this verification, the same concerns about delegate-padding which emerged at the last Congress will resurface and this cannot be good for the party since erode confidence in the fairness of the voting for the office bearers of the party and for election to the Central Executive Committee.
The delegates, however, must not feel voiceless or toothless in creating the conditions for a credible election process within the party. They must first see themselves as being senior to the leaders of the party. It is to them that the leadership must turn and not the other way around.
It is in their hands that the future of the party lies and not in the hands of the leadership. As such, they should assert themselves as the prime decision-makers of the party and be prepared to if possible delay to a special congress of the party, the election of office bearers so as to ensure that any election is free of controversy and follows a process of confidence- building measures.
If the delegates allow elections to go forward without sufficient confidence in the credibility of the process, it will do irreparable harm to the future of the PNCR. The party will suffer as a result and most likely will hardly be able to mount a successful challenge to the ruling PPP.
More importantly, it will suffer a credibility crisis, if it attempt against this background to question the processes that will be put in place for the forthcoming local government elections.
The situation in Guyana is bound to be a central feature of the deliberations of the party. However, the more important challenge for the party would seem to be preparing for local government elections because if the PNCR suffers a humiliating defeat at these polls, it will retard its chances of mounting a serious challenge to the PPPC during the next general elections.
The PNCR is not expected to win local government election. However it has to avoid losing more ground to the PPP than it did in the 1996 local government polls. This can happen if there is not a greater commitment towards transparency at the Congress, all the more reason why the delegates should insist that the elections for the Central Executive and office bearers of the party be deferred to a Special Congress so as to ensure that all the concerns about transparency of the polls are addressed.

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