THE People’s National Congress (PNC) party was confronted by its most serious challenge at its recently concluded 18th biennial congress – whether it truly embraces democracy and inclusivity, as it has been espousing.

In fact, this most important ingredient of any free state was put to the test within the context of what this Opposition party said that it represented.
At the Congress, the Party’s lip service was finally contradicted and exposed by the internal machinations of its own hand, that by its designed plan of delaying the completion of the scrutiny and finalising of the Region 10 delegates list for accreditation at the Congress.
OBSERVER contends that it boggles the mind that such an important list for such an important occasion as a political party congress was still not finalized, though the congress had already been convened on to the evening prior to Sunday. Every political leader knows that delegates are the motors of such gatherings – the movers and shakers of any such conventions. Therefore, not to certify their participation in the deliberative process is sure to cause alarm and anger, as did eventually occur in this case of the PNC party congress.
The excuses offered by the General Secretary, in whose hands rests this critical function, are without any reasonable foundation, as it has been reported that there were problems as far as two years ago. After all, he is a party veteran of over fifty years, and should have sought to have whatever problems there were remedied, with a proper delegates list finalised and readied before the commencement of the Congress.
Thus the claim by him of the accreditation list still being problematic on to the Saturday evening is inexcusable, and is a bird that cannot fly. If it is a case of incompetence, then it is incredible that such has occurred under the direction of this high ranking party member of such stature. It does conclude a case of deliberate foot dragging, with a view to ensuring that Aubrey Norton’s challenge did not materialise. What a stab in the back of party democracy!
It was obvious that Norton would not have participated in a process that he deemed flawed. It was the same position taken by Team Alexander in 2007.
By his withdrawal from Sunday’s proceedings, the PNC’s fraudulent and dishonest practices were not legitimised. Obviously, this development would have delivered the party leadership unchallenged to Granger, contesting same for the third time. Despite this however, the party’s image has been battered and disgraced by its own dishonest decision to perpetuate its old ideology of maximum leadership.
In any organisation, especially political ones, that is built on the platform of transparency, accountability, and fair play, leadership is periodically challenged and accountability of stewardship demanded. This is what would have occurred on Sunday had the contest for leadership been allowed. But the fact that it did not was because those who controlled the machinery of the PNC party has still not subscribed to the democratic process.
Let it be clear, that the principled stand taken by Norton , Sharma Solomon and followers , not to be part of the farce that posited itself as party elections on Sunday, was because they understand what a democratic process is all about.