Seeking to allay concerns about transparency in its internal polling, the PNCR has announced that it will provide for independent observ-ers, the secrecy of the ballot and the public counting of votes at next week’s Biennial Delegates’ Congress.

Stabroek News has seen a memo, “The registration and elections processes for the 16th Biennial Congress, 21-22 August, 2009,” by Convenor of the Congress Accreditation Committee Lance Carberry that stipulates that the election process should ensure that the casting of the ballot by each delegate is confidential.

Carberry told a news conference yesterday that the PNCR has been studying the ways and means by which it could remove contention from the verification of its membership list, strengthen the Delegate and Observer registration process and ensure that its electoral process is transparent and acceptable to the majority of its members. To this end, he disclosed that the party has been studying a number of proposals submitted by the membership and has agreed on processes intended to strengthen and improve the electoral process.

The party has agreed to invite a panel of independent and eminent persons, dubbed “friends of the Party,” to monitor the various processes used, for the registration and identification of Delegates and Observers, as well as for the election of the Central Executive Committee (CEC). Additionally, the CEC has agreed that a suitable person, who is considered independent, will undertake the task of the Returning Officer for the elections. The Returning Officer would be free to appoint his/her own assistants to manage the election’s process.

According to the memo, elections would be conducted in five stages, being for Party Leader, Chairperson, two Vice-Chairpersons, Treasurer and 15 other members of the CEC, in that order. The results for each stage would be declared before the election to the next stage is conducted. Ballot boxes are to be used for the casting of the votes and the counting of the votes would be undertaken in full public view. Additionally, each candidate, if desirous, would be entitled to appoint his or her own scrutineer(s) for the balloting and counting of the votes. Emphasising that the process should ensure that the casting of the ballot by each delegate is confidential, the memo explained that for each of the five stages of the elections process a single ballot would be issued to the Delegate on his/her way to the Ballot Box. After casting the Ballot, the Delegate would return to the seat he or she occupied prior to being invited to collect and cast the Ballot. The process would continue until the balloting for all five stages is completed.

Meanwhile, a Roll Call of delegates would be held before they are seated for the polls. The Convenor of the Accreditation Committee would provide the Returning Officer with a complete list of all the delegates, ordered by the region he or she represents as well as a list of Automatic Delegates. Since each delegate would be required to prominently wear his/her ID card, showing his, her name, group and region, in preparation for the conduct of the elections the Returning Officer would be able to conduct a roll call and identification of each delegate, before he or she is seated, in seats reserved for the region from which he or she is drawn.

When they are properly identified, delegates or observers would be issued with an “easily distinguishable prepared numbered Delegate or Observer ID Card.” The ID card would show the name, Group and Region represented by the delegate or observer and would be signed by the Convenor of the Accreditation Committee.

Carberry said too that the CEC at its meeting on July 23 approved procedures to be followed for “Verification of Membership List and Accreditation of Delegates and Observers.” A corresponding memo was sent to the Secretary and/or Chairman of each Party Group and went into effect from 25 July 2009. The document informed members of the Claims and Objections period which began from 19 July and came to its end on 9 August 2009 and Carberry said this was brought to the attention of all Party Groups countrywide.

According to Carberry, each group was sent a membership list and asked to verify whether it was accurate, with any queries being investigated. When questioned, Carberry disclosed that despite all the fuss there has been few claims and objections. He noted that he was investigating a claim submitted by a very prominent member of the party. “But I am surprised that given all the noise we have heard how few claims and objections we have seen,” he said.

Nominee for party leader Dr Richard Van West-Charles was among members to submit proposals for reforming the conduct of party elections. “The recent experience with the electoral process in the Georgetown District has clearly underscored the urgency for our Party to take the necessary action to ensure that we embark on a road guided by international best practice [regarding] the holding of any election be it in a political party or any organization for that matter,” he explained in a letter to Carberry.

In the lead up to the PNCR’s 16th Biennial Congress in August, Van West-Charles said that it was essential for the leadership and general membership to ensure every effort is taken to do the right thing and allow the party to walk with its head high. “Let the membership be empowered through one of the critical elements of empowerment, their right to vote and be counted fairly,” he said.