PNCR supporters who backed Vincent Alexander’s candidacy for the leadership of the party against Leader Robert Corbin during the last biennial congress are awaiting further information or disciplinary action from the party on their status.
Meanwhile, PNCR-1G MP James McAllister, who was among the first written to and summoned to a meeting with the disciplinary committee to answer to 11 charges, is still to meet with it. McAllister had been overseas for some months and has now returned.
On his return he found himself the tail-ender in Parliament or seat number 22, when he previously occupied seat number 12 in the second row. McAllister was also stripped of the post of Region Two Chairman even before he was summoned before the disciplinary committee.
In an invited comment, three of the 12 party members who were charged told Stabroek News that they had not heard from the committee since they responded to the summons and sought further clarification of the charges from it over two and a half months ago. This newspaper understands that of those charged former executive members Joseph Hamilton, Dr Dalgleish Joseph, McAllister and former GYSM Chairman Andrew Hicks have not responded.
Hamilton had told this newspaper that he does not recognize the current leadership of the party.
The disciplinary committee identified the 12, as members of “a group calling itself ‘Team Alexander.’” The charges ranged from theft by one person to speaking with the media and the offences, the committee said, were in direct contravention of guidance given by Corbin and the Party Chairman Winston Murray and that it would not have been in the interest of the party. The disciplinary action 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.
Stabroek News understands that the committee has not met for almost two months. Still to be summoned are PNCR-1G MP Deborah Backer and Alexander, who challenged Corbin but who withdrew from contesting the leadership after the party executive failed to verify the voters list which Alexander and his supporters felt was flawed.
Former GYSM Chairman of Region Ten Randy Nurse, who was mandated by the committee to apologise to another colleague for allegedly making racial slurs, a charge he denied, has been barred by the committee from holding any leadership position in the GYSM until August 16, 2008, since he did not issue the apology. Nurse, who had two other charges dropped against him, had argued that he had not used any racial slur and he had issued a public apology on the matter.
He had also felt that the two were culpable for the heated exchange they had in the campaign in the run up to the election for the party leadership. Nurse told this newspaper that he was not sure whether he would continue being politically active either with the GYSM or the PNCR.
