UNC executive member slams youth resolution as illegal

A member of the National Executive of the United National Congress (UNC) has written to all members of the executive suggesting that last weekend's resolution by the party's youth congress relating to MPs Jack Warner and Ramesh L. Maharaj was illegal.

In the letter dated March 2 and sent to members in care of the party's General Secretary, Fazal Karim, Sylvester Ramquar said the action of the youth wing "is a very clear example at what can only be described as the continued undermining of the democratic process within our party."

Ramquar pointed out that in order for any decisions taken by the youth congress to be legal the congress itself must be within the articles of the party's constitution, which stipulate that only duly qualified financial youth members of the party can vote.

"To ensure that whatever transpired on Saturday, February 28, 2009 in the National Congress of Youths was completely legal, we must know how many financial members were present and how many voted for that resolution, how many voted against and how many abstained," Ramquar wrote.

He has also taken issue with the manner in which the resolution was taken, noting that it did not go to the floor for debate before a vote.

"In the absence of any of the above, the motion calling for the expulsion of Jack Warner and Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj was therefore an illegal action", he observed.

Ramquar added, "Furthermore, an important resolution as the one to expel a Deputy Political Leader Jack Warner and Chief Whip Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, must be circulated to the membership of the party, constituency executive, constituency youth officer and the constituency youth arm of the forty-one constituencies of the party, giving adequate notice for the membership of the party, constituency executive, constituency youth officer and the constituency youth arm to discuss this matter and make an informed decision to be adopted by National Congress of Youths."

He said the agenda did not give the various institutions or constituency youth officers and the constituency youth arm notice, and as such, "no one had an idea of what this resolution was about. Nor could they have consulted their membership nor could they have taken an informed decision before or at the Congress."

The resolution was moved by the youth officer on the constituency executive of the Princes Town North. Ramquar is asking if that person was acting on behalf of the National Youth Arm Executive or on behalf of the constituency executive of the Princes Town North Constituency Executive.

He pointed that the person could not have acted on behalf of the Youth Arm Executive of the constituency of Princes Town North "because my information is that the constituency of Princes Town North does not have a Youth Arm or a Youth Arm Executive".

He has asked his colleagues to supply him with the names of the members and when where and how was these members elected or selected to office.

The letter says the UNC constitution treats all executive members, including the political leader, as equal and therefore any recommendation to the Political Leader and the National Executive really "betrays a lack of basic understanding of the United National Congress Constitution and seem to perpetuate the view that Mr. Basdeo Panday as Political Leader is master of all he surveys, the only owner of this great party."

Ramquar said since the Chairperson of the National Youth Arm Executive, Afifah Mohammed, attends most meetings of the National Executive she must be fully aware of the matters engaging the attention of the body and as such should have advised National Youth Arm Executive that the airing of party matter in the public was urgently being addressed by the National Executive.

He suggested that the youth resolution appears to be an attempt to pre-empt a National Executive meeting set for March 18 to deal with the matter of discipline as it relates to Warner and Maharaj.

Ramquar also disputes an assertion that the youth arm acted alone, citing an email from acting UNC chairman Vasant Bharat on February 26, 2009 stating, “I have just spent three hours, together with Sen. Mark, advising and assisting the Youth Arm Executive in their preparations for Sunday's Congress”.

He said both Bharat and Deputy Political Leader Wade Mark were present and they made no effort to prevent what he said is the undermining of democracy in the party by trying to pre-empt the actions of the National Executive.