PNP SHEGRY

MEMORANDUM

DELEGATES OF CENTRAL KINGSTON

SPECIAL CONSTITUENCY CONFERENCE

To: Mr. Julian Robinson General Secretary

From: Delegates of Central Kingston

Subject: Special Constituency Conference to be held In the Central Kingston Constituency

Date: June 17 2019

cc: Dr. Peter Phillips,, Mr. Damion Crawford, Mr. Fitz Jackson , Mr. Mikael Phillips, Mr. Philip Paulwell, Mr. Horace Dally, Ambassador Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, Ms. Donna Scott-Mottley, Deacon Ronald Thwaites, Charmaine Daniels, Dr. Joan Porteous, Mrs. Imani Duncan-Price, Mr. Raymond Pryce, Mr. Paul Buchanan, Mr. Donald Jackson, , Constituency Committee Central Kingston.

Re: Special Constituency Conference to Request that the election be held at the Constituency office within the Constituency of Central Kingston on June 22, 2019 or Postpone date until matter is resolved. The Decision to Relocate Polling Station to 89 Old Hope Road Is an Attempt to deprive some Delegates of the Opportunity to Participate In the upcoming Candidate selection for the Central Kingston Constituency Internal Poll.

The Purpose of this memo is to set out in clear terms, the dissatisfaction the delegates of Central Kingston have with the decision to relocate the polling stations from Central Kingston to 89 Old Hope Road, which falls not only outside of the constituency but also outside of Kingston, and is extremely far for the delegates who have not been given proper notice to now make arrangements to find ways to be present for voting.

This action is a blatantly clear effort to disenfranchise the delegates of Central Kingston and to deny some delegates the opportunity to participate in the democratic process. We have already observed that some members of the Party has given one Candidate unfair advantage over the others by giving the candidate preferential treatment, allowing her access to use the constituency office to the extent that her name was written on the constituency office wall then latter removed after protest.

Now The Committee has failed to properly advertise that the venue of the polling station has been relocated placing the majority delegates in very unfortunate situations.

This move clearly is to defeat democracy, encourage voter buying and bribing in short it appears to be an act of corruption, because the delegates will have to seek funding to be able to transport themselves and to make arrangement for baby sitters and surrogates to handle personal affairs while travelling to participate in this necessary election.

This places unnecessary and undue hardship on the delegates and exposes us to economic vulnerability and even being forced to declare who they are voting for by travelling in respective groups on selected buses organized by Candidates. We object to the Party forcing us to take money from candidates to ensure that we are able to make it to Hope Road to vote. We are aware that most of you have cars and Big Vehicle with A/C, so getting around is easy for you. The rest of us do not wish to be placed in positions that will compromise our integrity and which will bring our Party into disrepute and destruction.

It is for these reasons we now wish to invoke Rule 150 of the People’s National Party ’s Constitution which states :

“A special constituency Conference may be summoned to deal with any matters not otherwise expressly provided for in these Rules either on instructions of the Constituency Committee or on the written request of at least (thirty) 30 members drawn from at least five (5) groups.”

We are aware that section 136 states:

“A Party candidate to represent a Constituency shall be selected by all registered and financial members within that constituency, provided that there are in existence at least twenty (20) Recognized Groups with a minimum of one Recognized Group in each division of the constituency, each of not less than one year’s standing and subject to the provisions of Rules 87 and 88 “

This is in keeping with Rule 87 which clearly state:

“All persons who are registered financial members of the Party, as determined by the Central Register of Groups and Members, shall be delegates in their own right and thereby entitled to participate and vote at their respective divisional constituency candidate selection process.”

We the delegates have a right to vote and the removal of the polling station has in effect taken away that right. We therefore intend to Keep a Special Constituency Conference and since that no notice has been given to us in relation to the relocation of the polling station, we have met the requirements of Rule 150 and have now furnished you with the written request that you attend the meeting on Wednesday June 19 , 2019 at 3:000 pm to address our concerns and ultimately ensure that the Polling station remains in the constituency so that all delegates are given access to participate in the selection of a New candidate that will be a true representation of the desires of the members of the People’s National Party so that it cannot be said that there was interference with the selection process and no delegate will feel excluded by the actions of the General Secretary and the Oversight Committee.

It is our hope that a response will be forthcoming and that such a response be addressed to the aspirants who are in contact with us and ought to be concerned about our wishes and the direction being taken.

Sincerely by following 31 Delegates and voters of the P.N.P. Organisation in Kingston Central.