Dear Editor,
The June 28, 2009 election for chairman of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Georgetown District, has been sullied by allegations of fraud. The party said that Ms Volda Lawrence, a party vice chairman and supporter of party leader, Robert Corbin, in the ongoing leadership crisis, beat then chairman, Aubrey Norton, by 220 to 96 votes.
The allegations of fraud have further shattered the party’s image.
Aubrey Norton has alleged that the elections were fraudulent. He is no petulant outsider who hates Corbin and Lawrence. He is a Corbin insider as well as a PNCR Central Executive Member and Member of Parliament. He supported Robert Corbin in the leadership challenge at the last elections, and two months ago, defended Corbin in the press against criticism from Dr Richard Van West Charles, a former PAHO/WHO official, former PNC Minister of Health and a new contender for the leadership. Norton has been bitten by his own serpent, but this does not affect his allegations. He did not complain after the vote. He began to object to the process as it unfolded. He and other members objected to the manner in which ballots were distributed and to whom. They alleged that some persons had received more than one ballot while others received none. He was right to object, as such an apparently flawed process could affect the outcome of elections.
The media gave an account of what transpired, which corroborated some of his subsequent public complaints and objections. On June 29, Stabroek News reported that “As the ballot papers were being distributed for the voting for chairman, chaos erupted as persons were heard shouting that they were not receiving any ballot papers while others said that some were receiving more than one ballot paper. This saw some of them jumping to their feet and engaging in shouting matches.
“One man who wanted to make his voice heard stood at the microphone screaming that the process was being rigged…
“Norton and his supporters left the voting area and were overheard saying that the process was being rigged. Some persons produced ballot papers which did not have the standardized stamp at the back of them.”
The Georgetown district sends the most delegates to congress. Corbin is up for re-election at the next congress in August. Therefore, who represents Georgetown at the congress is a matter of significance. Norton, it appears, may no longer support him for leader.
I have fastidiously analyzed the media reports on this issue, as well as comments by Aubrey Norton, Robert Corbin and PNCR General Secretary Oscar Clarke, and have juxtaposed them against each other. The assertion by Messrs Corbin and Clarke that the election results represent the will of the membership, has not been established, given what has been reported.
I loathe Mr Corbin’s style of politics. He has cultivated a culture where members who attempt to challenge him through the use of the legitimate election process as outlined by the party’s constitution, are accused of dividing and bringing the party into disrepute. Such aspirants are restricted from discussing their candidacy or views in public. If they do, disciplinary proceedings are instituted against them. They are sidelined, as well as relieved of official party duties, and where relevant, removed from Parliament. I call on the party to end such practices, and allow democracy to flourish.
The party was not bequeathed or willed to Mr. Corbin It is not his or anyone else’s private estate. It is a political party for the people of Guyana. The leader works for the membership and people. He is not the master of the people. Hence, he must embrace full internal participatory democracy, and sanction electoral processes that have complete integrity and the full confidence of “the people.”
The stigma caused by perennial allegations of PNC “rigging” elections, be they true or false, is insufferable, and has badly tarnished the party’s image. Although both major political parties in Guyana now suffer the same fate, the PNCR cannot afford to perpetuate this sordid aura. Let me be clear, I have faith in the PNCR as an institution but I cannot say the same of the leadership.
I no longer repose any confidence in Messrs Corbin and Clark’s ability to conduct elections within the party.
In order to restore confidence in the party’s internal election process, I call on the Central Executive Committee of the PNCR to invite a reputable independent observer to oversee its next election at its August 2009 congress. Former Jamaican Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, is an ideal candidate for this role.
This can only enhance the democratic process in the party and ensure that its election is conducted with the highest level of integrity. It is only through such independent certification of the PNCR’s next election results, that the party can seriously begin to resuscitate its image and inspire confidence in its leadership.
Yours faithfully,
Rickford Burke
