People’s National Congress Islahat (PNCR) member and Member of Parliament (MP) Annette Ferguson has added her voice to the one-month notification provided for the Party’s congress scheduled for June 28-30. Last week Thursday the Party made the announcement. Ferguson, who has participated in several Congress Committees, said this is not enough time given the amount of work required.
Last February Party Leader Aubrey Norton said the Congress will be held on or before August 31 but never stipulated a specific date which would allow activation of certain procedures associated with holding the congress to allow for fullest involvement and participation. A similar concern was expressed earlier by Party Central Executive Committee (CEC) member, ret’d Rear Admiral Gary Best.
It is also the first time in the Party’s 67 years a Congress has been called with such short notice. In an interview with Village Voice News, Ferguson said the one-month notification suggest that many delegates and potential candidates are likely to be disenfranchised. It is her considered opinion this must be avoided, along with any claim the process was not fair and the Party avoiding any taint associated with disenfranchising members from participation. “This is something we fight against at the national level, and it must happen at the party level,” the MP asserted.
Ferguson who served on four previous congress committee that dealt with ‘Transportation and Accommodation’ said the party must proceed in a manner than does not bring it into disrepute. “This must not be about a person; it must be about the PNCR and all its members and supports.” She said in her role dealing with transportation and accommodation the committee would address logistical issues for delegates from Regions One, Two, Seven, Eight and Nine. These she said included accommodation, meals and ground transportation for the delegates attending the congress.
Touching on the overseas delegates, Ferguson, who served on the CEC before 2021 Congress and was a Party Vice Chairperson, said the Congress always planned for these participants. Consideration is often given to time because some overseas delegates may have to take off from work, book their flight at competitive cost and find accommodation with loved ones or at hotels, she noted.
A CEC member discussing the issue with this publication, on condition of anonymity, said the 2021 congress was different from the 2024 congress for many reasons. The member said 2021 was a special congress, the world was dealing with COVID-19 and isolation was a factor to mitigate spread of the virus. The Party took all these into consideration, the member said. At that one-day congress, the member reminded, then Party Leader David Granger read the report and delegates voted in their regions afterward.
‘The congress in 2024 should be a full congress, is centralised and will be held for three days which goes without saying requires more preparation and opportunities given for members to contest and participate.”
Both Ferguson and CEC member said three months is a reasonable time to announce the date and plan for congress which the party has historically done.
Another concern party members have is that while the party constitution, Rule 16 stipulates General Council must be held every quarterly, there has been none for 2024. In the two-year period of Norton’s leadership, no more than three General Councils were held.