Dear GMC,
The letter in today’s (12/31/08) Stabroek News from Terrence Simon in defense of Robert Corbin is stunning. It is a gigantic laundering of internal “party linen” in public – the same course Mr. Corbin has been advocating against to eschew further criticism. Mr. Corbin cannot have it both ways. Therefore out the window goes that argument.
The people who are “attempting” to defend Mr. Corbin, including Corbin himself, are serving him no good purpose. Acting at his instance, their every intervention further exposes his disreputable leadership, diminishes him and justifies the need for him to be removed.
Simon’s letter makes it very apparent that there are cracks in the central executive of the party and that Corbin’s defenders don’t know what on earth they are defending.
First, Simon appears to attack Aubrey Norton. Why? Is Norton vacillating on Corbin’s leadership and is now of the view that he must go?
Second, it grossly misrepresents the reason for the departure of Artie Ricknauth and Supriya Singh’s from the party, and opens the door for both of them to now further the debate on Corbin’s ineptitude and unsuitability to be leader, by publicly stating why they left the party. I strongly urge them to do so.
Third, neither Mr. Corbin nor his defenders have addressed the contentions that have now been placed on public record about his incompetence and failed leadership – an impeachment of his leadership and rational for his resignation. We have called on him to account for his leadership and failures, not to give us a contorted, “mumbo-jumbo” historical lesson on previous challenges to the leader of the PNC. Who cares about that ‘crap?” We want to address the current state of affairs in the party, not history!
Fourth, it underscores the need for party members to act to halt this precipitous march over the precipice, as something is terribly wrong in the PNC. If current executive members like Debbie Backer, Winston Murray, Lance Carberry, Aubrey Norton, Basil Williams, Toney Vieira, Volda Lawrence, Clarissa Rhiel, Dr. George Norton and others, do not act to initiate a “demarche” between Corbin and the various competing interests in the party and its support mechanisms, that includes a timetable for the departure of Mr. Corbin, then they will also be seen as accountable for enabling the disintegration of the PNC. I dread to think that these individuals would sit back and watch Corbin take the whole party down with him.
Finally, it is also time for party stalwarts and ex-members like, Rashleigh Jackson, Jeffrey Thomas, Yvonne Harewood-Benn, Dr. Faith Harding, Malcolm Parris, Michael Parris, Haslyn Parris, Stanley Ming, Eric Phillips, Aubrey Armstrong and others, to intervene with their opinions on the current state of affairs as well as the reforms and strategies that are needed to put the party back on strong footing. For them, I respectfully suggest, this is now about cause, party and country. Therefore there is no good reason for silence, inertia or passive observance. The stakes are too high!
Rickford Burke
