The General Council of the People’s National Congress Reform, which is the second highest decision making organ in the party, is expected to meet soon to decide on the date for the party’s Biennial Delegates Congress, the party’s Central Executive Committee (CEC) decided last night.
The move by the party’s Central Executive Committee has effectively muted the idea by party leader Aubrey Norton to set a congress date on his own.
Today, Mr. Norton would only say that the General Council will now meet and decide on the Congress.
He denied saying that he floated the notion that the Congress could be held in August.
“At no stage did I say Congress will be held in August or it will be held in Easter period that is a fact. The party’s Central Executive decided last evening that the matter will be placed to the General Council and it will be determined by the General Council, it has nothing to do with me, it now has to do with the party organs,” Mr. Norton.
Mr. Norton still holds the view that the party traditionally did not hold its Congress directly at the two year mark after the last Congress, citing several instances dating back to 1994 when the party’s congress was delayed by more than a year.
“If you go through you will see a number of times when the party’s congress took three years to convene. The constitution does say Biannual but the party has also exercise the flexibility for a number of reasons to ensure that the congress is held. But there are many occasions when it was not held exactly on the biannual including the last one which COVID postponed,” Mr. Norton told reporters.
Senior party members have been agitating for the party’s General Council to meet.
After a number of months, the party’s CEC met last evening and the issue of the Congress was raised.
There has been growing concern among members about the leadership of the party under Mr. Norton, who has been accused of sidelining senior party members in decision making.
In recent times, Mr. Norton has been seen attending high-level meetings without key members of his party.
Several party executives including Roysdale Forde, Amanza Walton-Desir and Dr. Gary Best, are said to be preparing to challenge Mr. Norton for the top party job.
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