Dear Editor,
The enduring commitment of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) to adhere to its constitution, particularly in respect to convening its biennial delegates’ congress, is a hallmark of its democratic ethos and must hold true in the upcoming year of 2023. I invite your attention to a pivotal juncture in the party’s history, namely August 2001, when the distinguished Hugh Desmond Hoyte was democratically elected as leader and entrusted with a two-year mandate that would have culminated in August 2003. However, the untimely demise of Mr. Hoyte in December 2002 necessitated the convening of an extraordinary delegates’ congress in February 2003.
Subsequently, the biennial delegates’ congresses of 2005, 2007, and 2009 transpired as essential instances in the party’s democratic timeline. Notably, in August 2009, the dynamic Robert Herman Orlando Corbin assumed the mantle of leadership, and within the ambit of his designated two-year tenure, he conscientiously abstained from pursuing the role of Presidential Candidate in the 2011 Regional and General Elections. This pivotal decision catalysed the conduct of primaries, resulting in the emergence of Mr. David Granger as the Presidential Candidate in February 2011. Considering that the electoral schedule in November 2011 encompassed the Regional and General Elections, the ensuing biennial delegates congress was appropriately convened in 2012.
In succeeding years, the party diligently convened congresses in 2014, 2016, and 2018, resolutely following the established biennial pattern. While the anticipated 2020 congress encountered postponement due to the conjunction of the Regional and General Elections in that same year, subsequently exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it was ultimately convened in 2021, during which Mr. Aubrey Norton was elected Party leader. Importantly, his tenure in office is set to conclude in December 2023, precisely in accordance with the stipulations of the party constitution.
Resolutely stated, the contours of the party’s constitution are unequivocal: the imminent biennial delegates’ congress is absolutely due in December 2023. It behooves Mr. Aubrey Norton, a standard-bearer of the PNCR, to uphold the sacred tenets of the party constitution without exception. The murmurs within party circles hint at the prospect of a special delegates congress convened for the purpose of electing a Presidential Candidate. However, this course of action would veritably exceed the bounds of Mr. Norton’s purview, given the impending conclusion of his tenure in December 2023.
Undeniably, the paramount obligation of the party is to pay homage to its constitution, which represents the bedrock of its democratic ideals. Thus, any endeavour to deviate from this constitutional imperative ought to be repudiated without reservation. It must be stressed that such divergence would transgress the very essence of the party’s constitutional foundation, evoking implications of mistrust. It follows, therefore, that if the party is unwilling or unable to honor its own constitution, its capacity to safeguard the sanctity of the national constitution may justifiably be brought into question. In a broader context, if the PNCR falters in honouring its own democratic protocols, the prospect of its fidelity to the national constitution becomes an issue of heightened public scrutiny.
Yours truly,
PNCR Member (Name withheld)
