With its Congress just a few weeks away (July 25-27) several members of the PNC say they are yet to receive their membership cards and the party’s top brass is refusing to comment on the matter.
Last week, this newspaper published a letter from someone claiming to be a member who is yet to receive his membership card. The letter said, “Bona fide members are identified by their membership cards. Congress is approximately three weeks away and there are too many members who have not yet received their membership cards. They have registered and renewed their membership and submitted the forms, along with the membership fee. Membership cards are processed by Congress Place and no one knows what is taking so long for members to receive their cards.”
Stabroek News contacted PNC leader David Granger on Tuesday but he said that while he is knowledgeable on the matter, the party’s General Secretary Oscar Clarke was the person with oversight responsibilities.
Stabroek News first contacted Clarke by phone on Tuesday but he disconnected the call after declaring that he would not be addressing the claims levelled in the letter. A visit was then paid to Clarke’s office at Congress Place where he maintained that he would not speak on the issue.
“I am not interested in talking to you about the letter… I am not speaking about the letter in the papers at all,” Clarke told this newspaper.
Pressed, an animated Clarke stated, “Listen to me, I am not speaking to you about the issue of our party membership cards at all, you can go write whatever you like in the papers, it won’t affect me one way or the other. It won’t affect out party either.”
Despite this statement though, Clarke said Stabroek News should have sent the letter to him for him to offer an explanation from the inception, if it was interested in a response.
“I am not responding to it at all because it makes no sense. It is senseless…I am finished talking to you.”
While at Congress Place, this newspaper asked other party members there if they had received their membership cards. Two persons declined to answer. But two others said that they had not yet received their cards.
