Roysdale Forde, Amanza Walton-Desir drop out of PNC leadership race

…cite “severe” electoral irregularities

Amanza Walton-Desir and Roysdale Forde, SC, who were the two contenders against People’s National Congress (PNC) leader, Aubrey Norton, for leadership of the party, have announced the suspension of their campaigns just one day before the party’s Congress is set to commence.
On Thursday, Walton-Desir in a statement cited serious concerns over procedural fairness and transparency as key reasons for her decision.
“I come to you today [Thursday) to announce my decision to suspend my campaign for the PNCR leadership,” Walton-Desir stated. “This decision has been incredibly difficult, but it has been made after deep reflection and extensive discussions with my team and close advisors,” her statement read.
She said that throughout her campaign, she emphasised values such as transparency, fairness, decency, and integrity within the party. However, recent developments have cast doubt on the integrity of the leadership selection process.
“As of the morning of June 27th, 2024, a preliminary list of delegates has not been made available to me as a candidate to allow for claims or objections,” Walton-Desir pointed out, adding that “further, there is a lack of agreement among all candidates contesting on the procedures for conducting the elections.”

These procedural issues, along with others that Walton-Desir did not specify in detail, led her to believe that immediate action was necessary to protect the integrity of the party’s democratic process.
“Though I am suspending my campaign, our work does not end here. We must continue to advocate for the values we believe in and push for the changes our party needs,” Walton-Desir expressed to her followers.
Walton-Desir concluded her statement by calling for unity among PNCR members and supporters during this challenging period.
Walton-Desir’s withdrawal raises questions about the future dynamics within the as the party prepares for its Congress.

“Severe” irregularities

Meanwhile, hours after Walton-Desir announced the suspension of her campaign, Roysdale Forde, SC, announced that he too has taken a decisive step, in the midst of the PNC internal elections turmoil by suspending his campaign and refusing all nominations for party positions. His actions come as a response to what he perceives as severe irregularities within the party’s electoral process.
In a statement on Thursday evening, Forde outlined several critical reasons for his decision, chief among his concerns are allegations of electoral malpractice and procedural flaws that have tainted the integrity of the ongoing election proceedings.
Forde said that his decision was precipitated by a lack of response to his repeated communications to the Central Executive Committee and the General Secretary regarding his concerns about the transparency and fairness of the electoral process. Despite raising alarm over discrepancies in delegate lists and unrealistic timelines imposed for the party congress, Forde said his concerns have gone unaddressed.
“For the integrity of our party’s electoral processes, I find it necessary to suspend my candidacy and reject all nominations,” Forde declared in his statement, adding that “our party’s strength lies in upholding democratic principles, and unfortunately, recent events have shown that these principles are not being upheld.”
Forde expressed gratitude towards his supporters and party members while reaffirming his commitment to the PNCR’s founding principles. He urged party leadership to take immediate action to rectify the flaws in the electoral process to restore confidence among members and uphold the party’s democratic ethos.

Turmoil within
On Wednesday, a PNC member took his own party to court, seeking to stop the upcoming biennial congress scheduled for this weekend, over the irregularities in the process leading up to the long overdue congress.
The member, Brian Collison, is contending that in light of irregularities in the process leading up to the selection of the PNC delegates, the High Court must intervene to protect the will of the PNC members and support base. Collison is being represented by Attorney-at-Law Vivian Williams, with PNC leader Aubrey Norton being named as a respondent in this case.
On Monday, Dawn Hastings-Williams, the party’s General Secretary announced her resignation from the party – becoming the latest in several high-profile resignations. Her resignation letter highlighted several concerns, including the lack of readiness for this weekend’s congress and concerns regarding financial accountability.
She also expressed concerns that as General Secretary, she was not being integrally involved in the preparations. Additionally, Hastings-Williams highlighted that she has 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.
The General Secretary further revealed that many members also claim that they have been unable or will be unable to meet the short deadlines set for the submission of the delegates and other information because of the short notice period for Congress.
Hastings-Williams’ resignation follows the resignation of her predecessor, Geeta Chandan Edmonds, in 2022. Also resigning at that time had been party treasurer, Faaiz Mursalin. At the time Mursalin had resigned, he had also claimed a lack of financial accountability.
The PNC’s congress is set for this weekend.
Norton is already grappling with the recent sexual allegation made against him by former Member of Parliament (MP) for Region 10, Vanessa Kissoon. In a video recording released last week, Kissoon accused Norton of threatening to rape her at gunpoint. Following that revelation, Norton’s supporters have taken to social media to ridicule Kissoon, currently a Linden Town Councillor.
However, other figures in the party and wider coalition have urged for an impartial investigation.
It was subsequently announced that a group of senior Executives of the PNC, referred to the Council of Elders, has been called in to probe the sexual harassment allegation.