Incumbent leader Desmond Hoyte was yesterday returned to the helm of the People’s National Congress REFORM (PNC/R) in a landslide victory, securing 508 votes while his lone opponent, Germaine Vansluytman, garnered 33 votes.
Delegates at the PNC/R 13th Biennial Congress at Congress Place, Sophia cast their ballots late last evening and returned the 72-year-old former President to the top post in the party.
During the opening session of the congress on Friday, Hoyte urged his party to consider an “adjusted” system of governance in what was seen as a landmark development. Up to last night the various resolutions dealing with this issue and others were still to be put to delegates.
Rising star and central executive committee member Raphael Trotman and vice-chairman Vincent Alexander, the other two persons who were nominated for the leadership both declined to contest. PNC/R Chairman Robert Corbin had earlier declined his nomination to the post and on the opening day of the congress had thrown his support behind Hoyte.
Corbin was returned to the pivotal position of chairman of the party with 352 votes compared to Trotman’s 253 votes. Alexander along with attorney-at-law Debra Backer declined to contest that position.
Trotman also entered the race for the vice-chairmanship of the party but he lost to the incumbent vice-chairman, Alexander, who secured 341 votes. Trotman garnered 179 votes. Backer along with James McAllister among others, who were also nominated for this position, declined to contest.
Delegates began to cast their ballots just around 5 pm after the party’s General Secretary, Oscar Clarke, took a while to iron out who were voting delegates and who were not. Shortly after that Hoyte entered the hall to a standing ovation from the delegates. When Trotman’s and Alexander’s names were called they also received their share of applause. They got even more applause when they announced while sitting at the head table that they had decided to decline contesting the post of leader.
Returning officer, Senior Counsel Keith Massiah called the names of all those who were nominated and then gave each a chance to decline to contest. Both Alexander and Trotman said “I wish to decline.”
“That is the right thing you do. You can’t come and want to go to the party leadership,” some of the delegates and observers outsider were overheard saying when Trotman declined to contest.
When Vansluytman’s name was called delegates, mostly women, were overheard urging her to decline and because of the noise that erupted after Alexander and Trotman made their announcements most persons did not hear what she said but assumed that she declined. When it was learnt that she in actual fact said she was contesting she drew some harsh remarks from delegates and others standing outside.
“Who she think she is? Whey she went when we teking baton lash from the police?” one woman was overheard asking.
“The old man (Hoyte) walk with we all the way,” another was heard saying.
Others used indecent language to describe the woman’s decision to contest. There were however, a few who gave the woman their support saying that it was time someone stood up to Hoyte, even if it was a woman.
When the votes were made public most of the delegates jumped up and shouted “Desmond!” waving their hands in the air while Hoyte stood and saluted.
Some of them when they heard Vansluytman’s number of votes sniggered aloud and hollered “out de place!” “You don’t dis your grandfather,” a woman said referring to Hoyte. When it was time to cast votes for Corbin and Trotman there was an obvious split as some of the delegates shouted for Corbin while another segment shouted for Trotman.
When Trotman said “Trotman will be fighting” in announcing that he will be contesting for that position many clapped.
There were those who felt confident that Trotman would have won saying, “is hey he must start and then he be groom for the leadership at the next congress.” “My heart will not be at ease until the votes are announced and Trotman win, you never know,” a woman said. There were many who threw their support behind Trotman but when Corbin was announced winner the place erupted as his supporters jumped up and started to wave.
Before the announcement was made Trotman was at the counting table observing the process and when he returned to his chair the look on his face indicated that he had lost.
For the vice-chairmanship there were also mixed sentiments expressed for Alexander and Trotman but many sniggered when they heard that Vansluytman was contesting.
As before, some delegates called for Trotman while others called for Alexander but in the end Alexander won much to the delight of many.
“They ent want change. Raphael should just quit politics. That is why we could never win another elections,” a woman said outside of the hall. Others were over heard murmuring their disappointment that Trotman did not win any of the positions he contested for. Trotman had sparked a furore when he had declared that the PNC/R should take some responsibility for the July 3rd invasion of the Office of the President during which two demonstrators were killed. This statement was not well received by some in the party.
Late into the night delegates were in the process of voting for the members of the central executive council.
Meanwhile, General Secretary Clarke in his report to the congress lamented the deterioration in the quality of the membership of the party and cited the non-functioning of party groups as a reason. “This decline in the quality of our membership is due in no small measure to the non-functioning of party groups, which are the centres of education and orientation of the membership. The reasons, for the non-functioning of party groups vary, but a predominant factor has been the decline in the national economy and the consequent struggle by large segments of the population to make ends meet”. He said the inactivity of the groups is of great concern to the party. He suggested that in the current economic situation the groups may well consider transforming themselves into economic units through which employment and income are provided to members.
Clarke said that during the last two years regional conferences have been convened in all coastal regions but not in the hinterland regions because of communications difficulties. He said this had left party members in those areas uncertain as to the identities of their regional party leaders.
Clarke lamented that the secretariat of the party continues to function “with woefully inadequate resources” This prevented crucial political work from being undertaken and led to frustration and disenchantment.
He extended thanks to what he described as a small band of dedicated volunteers. He named the head of the party’s human services department, Volda Lawrence; Yvonne Harewood-Benn who heads the party’s public relations committee; Basil Williams who chairs the party’s legal affairs committee and Hamley Case, the Chairman of the finance committee.
Clarke said that the party was still not in a position to publish its New Nation newspaper because of financial constraints and under Harewood-Benn has been able to maintain a powerful presence through weekly press conferences and television programmes.
Touching on the suspended dialogue between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC/R Leader Hoyte, Clarke declared that after one year of meetings and little or no progress in the implementation of decisions the party’s Central Executive Committee took the decision to suspend the talks. He added that since some of the decisions were in respect of constitutional amendments that had already been agreed, a boycott of Parliament was also implemented.
He advised the delegates gathered that several steps have been agreed to retool the party. These are: the computerization of the party’s membership records and the issuance of a new picture identification membership card at an economic cost, strengthening the secretariat by recruiting volunteers where possible, developing and executing a fund raising plan and programmes to finance the party year-round and reform of the secretariat’s security unit.
Under packaging of the party, Clarke envisaged that the PR capacity of the party would be revitalized, it would seek to develop and present a welcoming image to all Guyanese and it would network in non-traditional constituencies.
On relations with the ruling PPP/C, Clarke said there would be education of the membership with respect to the party’s philosophy and strategy, demonstrating of the power of the party through mobilization on issues affecting the populace and exposing by every means available “the ineptitude, corruption and bankruptcy of the PPP/C”.
Noting that it can be argued that since the bulk of the party’s members are women that the National Congress of Women should be the most populous arm of the party, Clarke said this was not so. “Let me therefore use this opportunity to challenge all the women of our party to get involved in the activities of the National Congress of Women”.
On the Guyana Youth and Student Movement (GYSM), Clarke declared that it had much to do if it is to recover the revolutionary fervour and dynamism of its predecessor the Young Socialist Movement. He said the GYSM must look to establish income-generating projects which can employ and utilise the energies of its members.
Clarke asserted that Local Government reform is critical to inclusive governance. He acknowledged that the task force set up as a result of the suspended Jagdeo/Hoyte dialogue “has done considerable work in hammering out the legal and administrative framework, which could facilitate the holding of local government elections”.
In the absence of an international department or even a desk officer, Clarke said the task of maintaining ties with parties overseas had been grossly neglected. (Samantha Alleyne)