When George Orwell said, “Political language… is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind,” he was discussing the use of political rhetoric to mislead and manipulate the public. This attempted manipulation is evident when reading the statement on the PNCR nomination process purportedly made by Team Forde. In the statements and letters, which are evidently attempts to eviscerate the legitimacy of the party’s nomination process concluded on Monday, June 10, 2024, Team Forde accused group chairs, district officials, and regional leaders of manipulating the nomination process. This is the nomination process which resulted in 81% nominations for incumbent Party Leader, Aubrey C. Norton, and 9% for Team Forde.
At first glance, one gets the impression that Team Forde is indeed seeking improvements to correct irregularities and ensure a transparent and credible process. However, on closer examination, it is found that the effort is a poor attempt to trash the nomination process and malign the Party.
In her article, “Lying in Politics,” written a few decades ago, the German-American philosopher Hannah Arendt aptly preempted Team Forde when she said, “The trouble with lying and deceiving is that their efficiency depends entirely upon a clear notion of the truth that the liar and deceiver wishes to hide.” Team Forde clearly does not have a clear notion of the truth, because if they did, the contradictions and easily exposed misleading assertions would not have been part of their efforts.
Team Forde complained about the nomination process in three groups and used the allegations to malign group chairs, district officials, and regional leaders across the country. This is despite the contradiction inherent in two complaints and the absolutely ludicrous nature of the other.
Team Forde complained about the nomination process in North East La Penitence and the Brickdam groups. In the case of North East La Penitence, they contend that the group chairman submitted the nominations without convening a meeting. In the case of Brickdam, they argued that it was wrong to reject the nomination submitted by the chairperson and accept that submitted by the secretary. This is duplicity at its best. Firstly, it is known that the chair of the Brickdam group is sick in bed and definitely could not have convened a meeting, but Team Forde is arguing that her submission should have been accepted, while the North East La Penitence nomination is not authentic. This deception undermines the credibility of all of Team Forde’s complaints.
Team Forde’s efforts to deceive and mislead the public would have been better served if there was a clear understanding of how party groups function. There is a reason groups and district chairs are called local leaders. They have influence on their members. They consult, they round-robin issues, and build consensus. In the past, several supposed “financial members” of groups were embarrassed when they attempted to challenge the legitimacy of a round-robin decision that is overwhelmingly supported by the members of their group. The way to stay connected is to attend group meetings.
Then there was the ludicrous complaint about the nomination process in the Alberttown group. They objected to Dr. Stanley V. Paul’s eligibility to participate in the process on the grounds that he was once a member of the PPP. There are no rules to support their vociferous objections to Dr. Paul, yet they persist. In fact, there are several precedents of members from the PPP crossing to the PNCR, and not only exercising the full rights of members, but holding senior office, as in the case of former General Secretary, Ranji Chandisingh.
One may wonder why Team Forde objected to Dr. Paul’s eligibility. Did he by himself determine that the group should nominate the incumbent Leader? No, he merely suggested, and the members of the group decided. Why then is Team Forde objecting to the right of the group members to decide? How are they complaining about the candidate being disenfranchised in North East La Penitence but boldly protesting the members of Alberttown being enfranchised? From North East La Penitence to Brickdam to Alberttown, there is a clear pattern of entitlement mentality. It is not about the rules, what is right or wrong, it is about what they do not like. If they do not like it, they will besmirch people’s character, trash the process, malign the Party, and drag its name through the mud.
The other complaints by Team Forde reflect their entitlement mentality. They complained about the Leader being Chairman of the Congress Committee and Sherwin Benjamin being Congress Administrator, but this attempt to deceive is undermined by their lack of knowledge. The fact is, for all district and regional conferences, and the Biennial Congress, it is the incumbent’s responsibility to organize. It is for the incumbent to ensure that transportation, accommodation, and meals are adequately provided. It is for the incumbent to ensure that the Congress is a showcase of the Party, that special invitees are comfortable, and the congress program is well executed.
A member who expresses an interest in contesting for office does not suddenly assume the right to demand the incumbent abdicate his responsibilities. Yes, it is true that on some previous occasions the incumbent Leader was not Chairman of the Congress Committee, but there are also occasions when the incumbent chaired. Of course, when the Party was in Government and the Leader was president, he definitely did not chair the Congress Committee. However, as per the constitution, the Leader is an ex officio member of every committee of the Party and can participate whenever he sees fit.
The issue that Sherwin Benjamin should not be the Congress Administrator is so moot it is almost a paradox. The Congress is being organized by members of the Party, and party members will sit on the committee. The issue is not who a member is likely to support—each party member has a constitutional right to support a candidate of his or her choice—but about the integrity and credibility of the member. Sherwin Benjamin is a person of the highest integrity. There is not a whiff of a scandal connected to him. Efforts by Team Forde to impugn his character must stop.
The efforts to use misrepresentation and half-truths to discredit the Party’s electoral process must also stop. For instance, Team Forde’s claim that the Party Leader serving as chairman of the Congress Committee is synonymous with the president serving as chairman of GECOM is a deliberately false analogy intended to mislead and confuse. In the PNCR, there is an independent Accreditation Committee responsible for the verification of the status of groups, verification of the membership of each group, and the formal allocation of delegates. Once this process is complete, the records are handed over to the returning officer. The chairman of the Congress Committee plays no role in this process.
Another misleading effort was to use Vincent Alexander’s factual statement that he has not assumed his role as yet as an indication of a deficiency. The standard practice is for the returning officer to assume his role when the relevant records are ready and have been handed over to him. The irony is that Candidate Forde was one of the people reinforcing this standard when the issue was being discussed. For Team Forde to now attempt to use this in an effort to discredit the process is just disingenuous.
There are certain things that are irrefutable. Firstly, Team Forde lacks support in the Party. The 9% nomination is an accurate representation of their support. The fact that they found it necessary to attack all group chairs, district officials, and regional leaders is a revelation. How could you be claiming to have support in the party but have influence over not one of the several party organs? Team Forde’s insistence that it should assume control of the Party is a result of their entitlement mindset. They feel entitled to be in charge because of who they are, not because they believe they enjoy popular support. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.