Dear Editor,
The holding of Congresses or Conventions of political parties in Guyana and other jurisdictions in the Caribbean region has been the subject of ridicule and taunts. People commented about undemocratic practices including various skullduggeries in registering members, selection of delegates, the voting process, etc. The process tends to favour incumbents and or those in charge of accreditation of voters or delegates as well as those in charge of the count. Challengers complain about an inherently undemocratic process.
The PNCR intra party internal election at its national congress (June 30) has been the talking point in recent days and weeks. Very few people expressed satisfaction with the process, particularly the selection of delegates. Almost everyone said the process was not democratic and that challengers for positions were not offered an equal opportunity as that afforded the incumbents and or those allied with incumbents. Similar comments were made about internal election to choose Members of the Central Committee of the PPP at the Congress held in early May. Similar comments were not heard about the convention or Congress of the AFC held on Saturday June 29. The UNC in Trinidad held internal elections also in June and the PNM held its internal election last year; questions were raised about the fairness of those elections. Unlike in Guyana where parties used the delegate system to choose the leader and other executive positions, in Trinidad and Tobago, the PNM and UNC have direct elections in which members cast ballots for all positions. The UNC was the first party to introduce the system in 2001 of members choosing the leader and other positions. The PNM followed a decade later. Other parties in the region use the delegate system as employed in Guyana.
The delegate system has been criticized as being inherently undemocratic. It can never be verified whether one was qualified to be a delegate; the system tends to be rigged. Membership, on the other hand, can be easily verified and almost impossible to be manipulated. A person signs up for membership with a cutoff date to participate in internal election. It is no different from when one registers to vote in a national election (general and local). Once a person is a member of a party, he or she is eligible to vote in a party’s election. That is the system used in the USA. Anyone at or above age 18 can sign up as a member of any political party or choose to be an Independent voter. A person can only be a member of one political party. A person can change party membership anytime. All party members are eligible to vote in a party’s internal process – to select leader and a nominee for any elective office. One can only vote for leadership and other positions if a member of the party. Being a member of a party does not preclude a voter from casting a ballot for another party during the national election to choose the winner of a position. The election commission in America in each individual state or locality or jurisdiction is given the power to register party members. One can choose to be an Independent voter, precluding participation in the affairs of a party. The election commission in each locality, state or jurisdiction holds the election to choose nominee for office or to select delegates for a convention.
Allowing party members to choose the party leader and other positions and to nominate candidate to seek elective office is far more democratic than the delegate system. Fraud is virtually eliminated and no candidate for office enjoys an advantage in the system! The system is very democratic. That kind of democratic system is needed in the Caribbean region.
The political parties in Guyana should agree by way of legislation in the national parliament giving power to Gecom to register members of parties and to be in charge of holding internal elections similar to how it is done in USA. In this way, questions about integrity of the process would be put to rest.
Yours truly,
Vishnu Bisram
