Mingo’s one-man show, resignations & irregularities could make PNC Congress worst in history
By Kurt Campbell
People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R) members, some serving at the highest level of the party, have expressed grave concern with how the process for the upcoming 21st Biennial Congress is being run administratively and the people involved.
Just nine days away from the highly anticipated event to be held on December 11, three members serving on the very important four-member Accreditation Committee – Ganesh Mahipaul (Co-Chairman), Annette Ferguson and Carol Joseph – have resigned.
While it was initially stated that the resignations were linked to a conflict of interest with the trio openly campaigning for respective candidates of their choice, the News Room has been told that is furthest from the truth.
The gripe, according to a reliable source in the PNC/R, is solely as a result of the one-man show being run by Party Executive Mortimer Mingo, Co-Chair of the Accreditation Committee.
The source said the resignations were offered on the spot during a heated debate at a meeting of the Central Executive Committee (CEC) on Wednesday where Mingo presented an accreditation report to the CEC that he compiled without the involvement of the other three members.
The News Room was told that Mingo, not perceived to be aligned to any candidate, was entrusted with the day-to-day duties of the Committee since the other three members were openly campaigning.
The source explained it was expected that Mingo would have completed his work along with the three staff members that he also singlehandedly hired, and then summon the other members for a briefing at minimum before submitting his report; that, however, was not done.
The Accreditation Committee is seen as a second layer of transparency and accountability with concerns previously raised with the involvement of the Party’s General Secretary Amna Ally. She was described by one of the candidates for party leader as a “threat” to the democratic process.
Mingo’s work and the report involve the accreditation of delegates, the acceptance of submissions during the nomination, and addressing irregularities unearthed in the system. It is to guarantee a free, fair, and transparent Congress.
Now, the credibility of the Accreditation Report is under question.
The party insider has also disclosed that the nomination process has been tainted with irregularities that were before the Accreditation Committee and are yet to be addressed.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
But there is another major internal row ongoing concerning the conflict of interest of the other three committee members.
The argument has been challenged by a reasoning that points to the fact that at the level of the CEC – which is the final decision-making body for the party and the upcoming Congress – there are candidates for leader of the party participating there.
The source said it is unfortunate that Joseph Harmon, Aubrey Norton, Dr. Ricahrd Van West Charles and Basil Williams, who are all candidates for the leader of the party, are making representation at CEC while others are not afforded the same opportunity in what is to be a democratic process.
Other candidates who were nominated are reportedly excluded altogether from the process such as Amanza Walton Desir and Carl Greenidge.
The source believes these challenges “could make this Congress the worst in history.”
Interestingly, it was noted that while debating the Accreditation Report on Wednesday. Aubrey Norton attempted to present an ‘on the spot Motion’ for the suspension of Amna Ally as General Secretary.
There was, however, an abrupt break in the transmission where the host of the hybrid meeting claimed to have gotten a power outage. Attempts to reconvene the meeting were reportedly futile and it has been rescheduled to Friday.
