PNCR'S RETURN TO POLITICS AS USUAL

UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 000713

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV KDEM GY
SUBJECT: PNCR'S RETURN TO POLITICS AS USUAL

REF: GEORGETOWN 690


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Robert Corbin was returned unopposed as
Leader of the People's National Congress Reform (PNCR) after
Vincent Alexander and his team of supporters formally
withdrew from the elections for party leader and members of
the Central Executive Committee (CEC). Alexander's
withdrawal, after the party's refusal to verify its suddenly
increased member list, has led many PNCR supporters to
question whether this signifies a return to the old days of
dirty politics by the PNCR. Newspaper editorials and man on
the street" surveys were decidedly criticl of the party's
handling of the situation. ENDSUMMARY.

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NO VEIFICATION, NO OPPOSITION
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2. (SBU) Robert Corbin was returned unoppsed as Leader of
the PNCR after his sole opponen, Vincent Alexander, formally
withdrew from the lections for party leader. As reported in
refetl, the PNCR entered this weekend's Biennial Congres
with many controversial issues, foremost of whih was the
question of whether to proceed withoutverifying the
significantly swelled party member list. In what could best
be described as a tension-filled meeting Saturday morning,
which saw heckling inside the hall and a physical fight
between two supporters of Corbin and Alexander outside in the
courtyard, the PNCR 15th Biennial Congress voted against the
postponement of the elections for the leader of the party
following which Alexander and his followers withdrew from the
elections. Afterward, Alexander told local newspapers that
he was not leaving the party, but was still considering
whether to seek a legal opinion to determine the credibility
of the elections.

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CHEATER, CHEATER, PUMPKIN EATER
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3. (SBU) Numerous editorials, like "Cheater, Cheater,
Pumpkin Eater" and "The PNC Implodes Today", maligned the
PNCR's decision to proceed with the leadership elections
without verification. Calling the sudden increase in
membership of the PNCR in the last two weeks "a real cock and
bull story", one of Guyana's most prominent columnists
suggested that democratic members of the PNCR should picket
the remainder of the congress and "chase those crazy
(manipulators) out of town". Many other editorials
questioned whether the PNCR had returned to the bad old days
when the party was known for rigging elections. In a local
newspaper's "man on the street" survey, the respondents
unanimously agreed that the PNCR's internal elections should
have been held to the same standard (verification) as that
which they had called for in the national elections.

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COMMENT
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4. (SBU) To no one's surprise, the PNCR decided to hold their
leadership elections despite the serious questions about the
veracity of their membership list. This raises troubling
questions. First, it is a sign that the PNCR may be heading
back to its "bad old days" of dirty politics and rigged
elections. Second, and more troubling, is that their recent
congress shows a party that is clearly fractured and in a
steady state of decline. For the moment, it appears Guyana
only has one viable party, the ruling PPP.
Robinson