I RESPOND to a letter to the Editor written by the general secretary of the Barbados Labour Party which appeared in the DAILY NATION of Tuesday, October 18, under the caption Explanation Already Given For Election.
I would have normally treated that kind of communication with derision since it treats to an issue over which he presided as judge, jury and chief bottle-washer without recognising his parading in such a delicate matter. However, this blatant disregard for democratic traditions and fair play merits a response.
It is noteworthy that the general secretary is the one who superintends the Membership Committee.
He is the gateway to all communication from prospective candidates. Having successfully presided over the annual general meeting of the St Michael South Central constituency on Sunday, August 28, the general secretary re-entered the remainder of the meeting to announce the nomination date for that constituency. He unilaterally determined that date to be October 2 in the absence of the National Council.
It could hardly have been sheer happenstance that this date would fall four days short of the required six weeks for new members to participate in the voting process at the nomination.
Bearing in mind that I had submitted the final 71 membership forms to his Roebuck Street office on Friday, August 26, and he was reminded of such during the same meeting, the action which followed seems highly questionable or even inappropriate.
I would be more than grateful if the general secretary could also use this medium to state clearly not only his involvement, but that of the pertinent committee(s) and the National Council in arriving at the final membership list.
In sum, this behaviour was a shocking display of unreasonableness for process and procedure totally inimical to good governance in a democracy.
– DAVID T. GILL
