Leader of the People’s National Congress Islahat (PNCR) Aubrey Norton, who is seeking re-election at the Party’s 22nd Biennial Congress scheduled for Friday June 28 to Sunday June 30, 2024 says the Party is going ahead with plans. Congress Administrator, Sherwin Benjamin told Demerara Waves everything, as far as he is aware is on schedule, and barring an act of God, Congress will be held as per scheduled.
Yesterday the Party’s General Secretary (GS) Dawn Hastings-Williams resigned with immediate effect, citing several challenges experienced in holding the Congress. Among these include the Party’s readiness for the Congress stating the one-month period for preparation for the congress could lead to confusion rather than having a fair and transparent process and outcome.
Other instance cited are the GS not being integrally involved in every step of the process as is customary; not having access to the membership roll; the issue of the disappearing and re-appearing CPU that stored the membership veri; and the financial probity.
See the Hastings-Williams full letter below
Norton, in an interview with News Source, said the Party is ready for the Congress and it will be transparent, open and stand the scrutiny of anyone who is not bias.
Village Voice News was reliability told the Amanza Walton-Desir and Roysdale Forde campaigns have registered concerns to Party’s Congress Place about irregularities and the management of the process to ensure a free, fair, transparent and credible elections.
News Source reported Norton stating based on the membership list, approximately 1,200 delegates are expected to attend the Congress, including 30 delegates from the US, Canada and England. Demerara Waves reported it is estimated to be 1300.
Dear Cde. Leader,
Letter of Resignation from the post of the General Secretary, PNCR
After careful consideration, I hereby tender my resignation from the post of the General Secretary of the People’ National Congress Islahat with effect from June 24th 2024.
I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for entrusting me with 0ne of the highest office in the Party’s Organizational Structure. Having said that, I now wish to identify my reasons for my resignation.
(a) My position on the Readiness of the 22nd Biennial Delegates Congress. With all the administrative task that has to be undertaken by the secretariat, I believe that the one-month period for preparation for such a congress can lead to confusion rather than having a fair and transparent process and outcome. I am quite mühlet that you and the members of the CEC will agree with me that when the Congress is over it must conclude in a positive light.
Exemption of Observers for Day2 and Day3: Rule15(3) which addresses Observers at Congress permits me as the General Secretary to accredit persons to attend as Observers whether they are members or not. Hence I beg the question, “why are we abandoning the privilege party members look forward to?
(b) I think that it is my duty as the General Secretary to be integrally involved in every aspect of the preparation for the Congress. However, that has not been happening in many instances. For example, invitations were sent out to persons without my knowledge and I don’t know under whose authorized signature other than the General Secretary of the Party. I found out when I began to send out a few written invitations and only to be told that they are already in receipt of an invitation. This, I see as a gross disrespect to my office. I am in no way against being assisted in the preparation of the invitation or any other document but at least be given the courtesy of examining the draft and the final product. In this case, I have requested for the total number of invitees so as to inform the security personnel for safety and order.
(c) Membership- ever since my assumption of Office as the General Secretary, I have been attempting to correct this situation after I was informed that the external drive with all the information on the General membership was removed and perhaps destroyed and that the software on the computer was crashed. I can confirm the computer was eventually fixed sometime in late April or early May. And then you had the incident where the CPU was removed from the department without the General Secretary’s permission. This occurrence caused a delay for almost two weeks. Consequently, I cannot personally vouch for the accuracy of the records in this section. Additionally, I have received complaints from several groups and party members some in writing, that the records of the secretariat do not correspond with their previous submissions and that their membership register does not reflect their true membership.
Many members also claim that they have been unable or will be unable to meet the short deadlines set for the submissi0n of the delegates and other information because of the short notice period for Congress. Consequently, I cannot substantiate or dismiss the accuracy of these claims especially when it was only Friday 21st June, the updated but not quite completed General Membership Register was handed over to the Administrator. Hence the need for corrections and changes will have to be done between the current time and the date of the Congress.
I must mention an instance where a comrade from one of the groups in the USA came to my office to enquire about the reason why membership cards were not being printed and we both entered the Membership Department to examine the computer and the other equipment so as to determine what was the pending issue and to see whether he can assist in any way to get the membership matter addressed. Not even five minutes past when the Leader called him to ask why was he questioning a junior staff about membership. The expression on the Comrades face and the tone of his voice told me that something was not right. I never felt so humiliated after that incident. I felt as if I was being watched and monitored. In fact, this was actually the second time I felt humiliated after being locked out at the gate where canters and cars were used to block my vehicle from entering to pick me up to take me home from work.
If you can recall Cde. Leader, at our very first meeting, I told you that I will accept the appointment under the condition that you allow me and gave me the scope to function as the General Secretary of the party without being micromanaged.
(d) Financial Statement- members of the CEC, you would have notice that within the period of one year plus as the General secretary I was unable to present any financial statement to the Central Executive Committee. Reason simply being that I have no access to the weekly or monthly income and expenditure statement. I had requested of the accountant last December to prepare and produce a financial statement for the year 2023 so as to present it to the CEC. When I called for the statement to be handed in to me the accountant said that she had completed the statement as was instructed by me but was told not to hand it over to me but to put in on hold.
Finally, the Congress Place at present is not conducive to working especially when you have someone shouting and threatening staff that they will be sent home.
In light of all the reasons stated above I have decided to tender my resignation because I would not like to be a part of any unreasonable practice hence it becomes precedence for next time. I l0ve my party and I will not continue to sit as a rubber stamp in the Office of the General Secretary.
Let me take this opportunity to evvel again thank you for granting me the opportunity to serve in the capacity of one of the most important positions of our party. I also wish to seek your forgiveness for any inconvenience caused at this time.
Long live the PNCR!
Yours Respectfully,
Dawn Hastings-Williams MP
Cc CEC Members