Even with questions from some candidates about the credibility of the membership list, heading in to this weekend’s Congress and Elections of the People’s National Congress Reform, the Party’s Congress Administrator, Sherwin Benjamin today said the process will be transparent.
As part of the Congress, delegates will vote for a number of leadership positions in the party, including the positions of Leader, Chairman, Vice Chairman and Treasurer.
Before resigning as the party’s General Secretary earlier this week, Dawn Hastings-Williams expressed some concern about the credibility of the list heading into the elections.
However, while assuring that all systems are in place for the congress and the elections, the Administrator said many of the concerns raised are misplaced and would have little impact on the upcoming elections.
“I am not sure that any elections that has been held in Guyana or moreover, the world can be seen as free and fair. There are certain bench marks. I think the margin of error in respect of what has transpired in the process are minimal. The persons who are making these complaints do not understand the internal procedures of the party. We at the congress committee have from the onset operated a very tight shift, and the information, is more, as a result of not understanding the process. I don’t think persons want the congress committee to go on the ground to tell them, groups to meet, groups to round-robin. Those are issues that have to be dealt with at the group level, the group and regional and district level. I don’t think in the main, it can cast a dark cloud over the overall transparency of the elections,” the Congress Administrator said.
The Administrator admitted that before stepping away from her position as General Secretary, Ms. Hastings-Williams completed many of the critical tasks as a Congress Facilitator.
“The General Secretary of the Party, historical, has played a role of congress facilitator. Her job or the persons job is basically to facilitate the congress committee by providing information, and providing liaison support between the committee and the secretariat. Critical to that was the provision of the Official List to the congress committee, that was done, so that, the list of delegates can be extracted. We have received the list and we have started the extraction process; a preliminary list is up and has been sent to the various groups in the region. And to answer in short, I don’t know think her resignation would have adverse effect on the holding of the congress,” he said.
The Congress is expected to hear a report from the General Secretary. With no one in that position, it is unclear who may be identified for the role at this weekend’s Congress.
As many as 2,000 delegates are set to attend and vote at the elections
“I can say definitively, in respect of Region One, I spoke to the persons there, and they are aware that transportation, in terms of getting them here, would be done through either through air or the boat, and to the best of my knowledge, they are fully aware that transportation is provided. I have a brief from Region Nine, persons have already start travelling via the route and some persons would be flown in as well,” the Congress Administrator said.
The Congress opens on Friday and will conclude just after the elections on Sunday.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login