While registering concern about poll preparations, Team Alexander yesterday issued a call to action to PNCR members to support Winston Murray’s candidacy for party leader.
According to a statement released by the group, while the interest of the membership and constituency seems to be secondary to the desire by some to perpetuate themselves in office forever, Murray and Dr Richard Van West-Charles are embarking on “a patriotic effort” to rescue the PNCR. “There is still a silver lining beyond the dark, hovering and depressing clouds,” the group said, while urging all like-minded party comrades to seize the moment and “take the opportunity to make a difference between the downward trend of the party and the possibilities for change that new leadership, a new political culture and the implementation that a new programme of actions can engender.”
Further, the group said incumbent Robert Corbin ought to be held to his public promise at the last Congress, where he declared his aspiration to “hand over” to a new team of leadership.
The statement recalled that Team Alexander publicly announced its intention to field a candidate, former Vice-Chairman Vincent Alexander, to contest the position of leader of the PNCR ahead of the 15th Biennial Congress two years ago. That decision, it explained, was taken after carefully considering the options and concluding that the time for a “new Leader, a new political culture and a new programme of action” was overdue.
However, the group noted that its members withdrew its candidatures from all positions for which they were nominated when it became patently clear that the electoral process was corrupted beyond retrieve and that no effort was being make to correct it despite irrefutable evidence. “It is now approximately two years after those occurrences and not much has changed,” the statement said, adding, “Recent revelations that a verification exercise unearthed scores of cases of fraudulent membership applications is indicative of the fact that there is no desire by the Status Quo to allow the will of the membership to prevail.” In this regard the group said its members were saddened by the current state of the party, saying it is apparent that it has been hijacked by personal agendas.
Outraged by the PNCR’s decision to axe former executive James McAllister as a Member of Parliament (MP), Alexander and supporters last year announced that they could “no longer be in service” to the party and allowed their membership to lapse. McAllister and other Team Alexander members have since expressed their support for Murray.
