NO NEED FOR THE PNCR TO LOOK FOR A LEADER

Oct 18, 2010 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Jesus, it is said was denied three times by his followers. How many times is Winston Murray going to be denied by the party which he has faithfully served?
Winston Murray has been  denied three times by his party. First it was when he was Chairman of the party and the leadership issue arose.
Since as Chairperson he was most likely to succeed Desmond Hoyte, he was expected to be the front-runner for leadership after Hoyte indicated that a successor had to be found. Instead of allowing constitutional succession to take place, the party instead decided that it would examine a mechanism to find a leader. This was seen as an attempt to sideline Murray and after back-room machinations confirmed this, he did not contest the Chairmanship of the party.
At the last Congress he emerged as a serious challenger to incumbent leader Robert Corbin. He was however rejected by the vast majority of those who voted, forcing him to concede that notwithstanding the concerns about the conduct of those elections, his rival would have won.
Despite having to then consider his political future, he opted to continue to serve the party. This shows just how committed a member he is.
Now once again, when the issue of the party’s presidential candidate arose, other names are being thrown into the hat.
There is nothing wrong with competition within the party, but why have a contest when there is someone who in terms of experience, expertise and appeal far surpasses all the other possible contenders. Is there anyone within the party apart from the leader himself who possesses the requisite skills for the job than Winston Murray. He has been a faithful and long- standing  member of the party.
He has been within the leadership longer than many of those whose names are now being touted as possible contenders. He is one of the party’s most vigorous parliamentarians, leading literally from the front and carrying the fight from the front.
He is the party’s leading spokesperson on financial and  economic matters within the National Assembly. He is respected and admired within the private sector. He has the potential to break the PPP’s stranglehold in many parts of the country.
His government experience is no less flattering. He has served as Head of the Presidential Secretariat and as a Minister of the government, both under Desmond Hoyte. So this is why it is unnecessary for the PNCR to throw up names of persons whose political CV cannot match that of Winston Murray.
There is the feeling that parties must have competitive elections in order to show that their internal practices are democratic. But what about fairness and meritocracy within parties? Do those things not count in today’s world? What about those that have served the party at the highest levels? Is it fair for those persons to be left on the sidelines simply because of the need to pattern internal practices with what happens elsewhere.
If this is the case and there is a real commitment to democracy was there such a ruckus when Vincent Alexander, a persons with working class roots, contested the leadership not so long ago? Where was the commitment to democracy when there were problems developed over this contest?
If the PNCR is keen on an open contest for leadership, it should not have any committee to look into any mechanism of appointing the party’s presidential candidate. It should simply allow members or groups to nominate whoever they wish to become the party’s next presidential candidate. And then let the delegates at the party’s next congress decide through a transparent process.
Anyone can decide that they would like to become President but in the final analysis, a nomination has to be made by a member or a group and then there has to be voting.
And what about Mr. Corbin? Why should he be put out to pasture? He has only lost one election to the PPP. Mr. Hoyte lost three and if he had not died, may have lost a fourth and still retained the leadership of the party.
Does the PNCR seriously believe that having a new presidential candidate will allow it to win the next elections?
If this is the premise upon which it is seeking to find a new presidential candidate, its problems are far more compounded than originally thought because it is clear that it is acting under an illusion.
What the party needs is a leader for the future, someone that can reunite the party and allow it to retain its core membership while reaching out to other constituencies, someone with the experience and leadership to be able to mould a team for the 2016  elections.
The PNCR cannot win next year’s elections. It has no chance whatsoever of doing so.
Its best bet is to look to the future to someone who can allow the party to forge alliances with forces that would see the party gain the financial and other resources needed to win elections. It does not have to look far for such a person. He is right within the party. He has been there all the time. He has been with the party since the days of Burnham and has earned his position. He is Robert Corbin.
The PNCR needs to stop looking for a leader and start appreciating that it already has one.

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