With public campaigning already started ahead of the official call for nominations in the race among prospective presidential candidates for the main opposition PNCR, former party vice-chairman Vincent Alexander says this represents a shift in its political culture that has renewed interest in the party.
Alexander, however, emphasises that in going forward, the party needs to ensure that the process it uses to identify the candidate is “transparent,” arguing that it would be crucial in ensuring that whoever emerges can move forward with a united party.
Although the PNCR has yet to begin the call for nominations for its presidential candidate, there have been public declarations of interest so far by David Granger, Basil Williams, Winston Murray and Dr Faith Harding. Additionally, Granger and Murray have been campaigning during outreaches to party members.
Alexander told Stabroek News that there was nothing wrong with anyone declaring their interest publicly. He noted that the candidates are running for public office and pointed out that in the interest of openness and transparency it is always good to ensure that things are in the public domain.
He recalled the objections his own campaign had been met with in 2007 for going public and he suggested that it ultimately contributed to a shift in the political culture. “It was one of the things we campaigned on,” he said. “It wasn’t only about an office but about a process.”
Supporters of Alexander’s campaign for the party leadership had been disciplined in part for their actions during a public campaign, which was found to have undermined the interest of the party in public. The situation prompted the PNCR to ask members to sign on to a revised code of conduct. According to Alexander, the public campaigning has reinvigorated interest in the party. He explained that elections historically create an opportunity for wide mobilisation. In particular, he pointed out that those who want change as well as those who are supportive of the status quo are in their highest state of activism.
With the declarations by the candidates, there has been a suggestion by at least one campaign that the process to select the candidate should include public debates.
Alexander said he believed the call for an internal debate among the candidates would be useful to the campaigning process. He added that it would be necessary to ensure a level playing field while allowing the candidates to put forward their ideas for the future of the country to the party membership-at-large.
For the PNCR to capitalise on the renewed interest ignited by the situation, Alexander said it needs to ensure that all its processes are transparent and above board. “So that whoever emerges can have the legitimacy to speak to everyone and bring everyone together,” he emphasised. “They must be seen as having won a fair race and the credibility and integrity to call upon those who have not won to lay down arms and march forward collectively.”
Currently, the party is still finalising the process to be used to identify the candidate, having held ongoing consultations with its membership.
