Dear Editor,
I am flabbergasted at the various manoeuvres that are being made by those seeking to promote themselves to be leader of the PNCR. From all indications, it appears that the ill-conceived approach taken by Vincent Alexander and his supporters to challenge Corbin at the last PNCR congress has opened a ‘Pandora’s box’. Jumping out of this box are some who are prepared to use alternative avenues, rather than the straight party system, to make their manoeuvres, while there are those who lobby and goad the ‘goadables” to publicly chastise Corbin for the sake of promoting them.
To establish my point and to bring some credence to my presumption I wish to allude to the recent stance taken by one time ‘PNC big wig’ in the Burnham government and baptized socialist, Elvin Mc David. The stance I speak about is Mc David’s decision to run for the office of President General of the Guyana Labour Union (GLU) and the comments he made in relation to same. I must admit that nothing is wrong with anyone challenging for the office in question but Mc David, with his eyes on the PNCR leadership, knows fully well that there is an unwritten rule, derived by way of custom or otherwise, that this position has always been held by the PNC leader. Mc David served in the PNC government when Burnham was the leader of the union, he thus fantasizes over the idea that since a large percentage of the union’s membership might be affiliated to the PNCR this gives him a good chance to challenge Corbin for leadership in the near future. According to Mc David, he had the most nominations for the position until Corbin’s name was added to the list.
The restoration of the name Elvin McDavid caused me to recollect. Since his absence from Guyana and national affairs has spanned two decades what has motivated Mc David to run for President General for GLU, after such a protracted period of abstinence from local politics. And what difference can he bring to PNCR should he manage to become leader? In fact I first read of Mc David in the Kaieteur News when in an interview with Freddie Kissoon he mentioned Burnham’s death and the name Richard Van West Charles in the same line. In that interview, he dismissed the idea that Van West Charles could ever be leader of PNC. It was then I knew of Van West Charles’s inclination to be leader of the PNCR and his interest in the coveted office.
Let me turn now to a letter (on whose behalf it was written I am aware) captioned “PNCR on the brink of irrelevance, I call on Mr Corbin to resign” by Rickford Burke. In his letter dated November 11, 2007 Burke in a verbose and convoluted epistle tried to present a case for Corbin to resign from the coveted office. Burke boldly claimed that the PNCR and its leadership has “failed in every respect to represent its constituents”. It is appalling to see someone who promotes himself as former special assistant to late President Hoyte make such a clearly irresponsible statement. I wonder what quality of assistance he would have given Hoyte! As a member of the PNCR, I must say that I do not always agree with Freddie Kissoon but I must admit that in this case I agree with him, that PNCR supporters and members must be outraged with Burke and his outrageous claims.
Burke claims to have knowledge of the party but it is obvious that his knowledge is limited and clouded, and does not go to the fundamentals of the philosophical, ideological and basic or underlying unwritten rules and principles which govern the party. He should refer to recent party events to be educated on these. So Burke has no credibility to speak on the PNCR since he lacks an understanding of the current PNCR.
Burke stated, “The current leadership has squandered its credibility and respect
