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Former Member
TUF Executive apologises to Minister Nadir
… after Presidential Candidate’s blunder


August 25, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
Source

Mrs. Valerie Garrido-Lowe

Party members of The United Force (TUF) yesterday sought to correct a serious political gaffe made by their new leader and Presidential Candidate, Mrs. Valerie Garrido-Lowe.

On August 19, Lowe sent a letter to former party leader and Minister of Labour, Manzoor Nadir asking him to relinquish the party’s single seat in Parliament. She stated in her letter that the Executive of the party had come to the conclusion that Nadir was not utilising the seat to its full potential.

It was pointed out by persons versed in constitutional law that the right of recall lay not with the party leader, necessarily, but with the Representative of the List, a position that Nadir retains at present.

Minister Nadir told Kaieteur News on Tuesday that he would willingly step down if a majority of the candidates on the TUF list who contested the 2006 elections called for him to do so. He went on to note, however, that to his knowledge, there has been no Executive Meeting to this end.

In a letter sent yesterday, Chairman of the Party, Ismail Muhammad apologized to Nadir for any embarrassment that Lowe’s decision may have caused. Nadir’s position that no such Executive Meeting had been called was also proven true by Muhammad in the letter. He told Nadir, “It is with grave concern that I have learnt that our leader has sent you a letter calling on you to resign from your seat in Parliament and even with greater concern that that letter says that this decision was taken by the Executive of the Party.”

Muhammad further stated that, “As Chairman of the party I can assure you that no meeting was ever called to discuss your resignation from Parliament. The last meeting of the Executive was on July 8, 2011. A meeting was to be convened on August 20 and I had to nullify that meeting because it was never convened by me and I never prepared the agenda – These are the responsibilities of the Chairman and no other person.”

Muhammad goes on to say that he told Garrido- Lowe that she was usurping his authority as Chairman of the party and that the planned meeting was “totally unconstitutional and null and void.”

The Chairman then contacted the party executives from throughout the country who all asked to have their signatures appended to the apology. He stated that the Executive members were never consulted and they “are not in support of Ms. Valerie Garrido-Lowe in this matter of your resignation from Parliament.”

In a direct contradiction to Garrido-Lowe’s claims in her letter where she tells Nadir that he is not utilising the party’s seat in Parliament to its full potential, Muhammad said to Nadir in the letter, “I assure you that the Executive and Members recognize you as the legal representative for The United Force in Parliament and we commend you for the work you have done in Parliament during the last four terms as our Parliamentary Representative.”

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quote:

In a letter sent yesterday, Chairman of the Party, Ismail Muhammad apologized to Nadir for any embarrassment that Lowe’s decision may have caused. Nadir’s position that no such Executive Meeting had been called was also proven true by Muhammad in the letter. He told Nadir, “It is with grave concern that I have learnt that our leader has sent you a letter calling on you to resign from your seat in Parliament and even with greater concern that that letter says that this decision was taken by the Executive of the Party.”


Mrs. Valerie Garrido-Lowe demonstrated her profound knowledge of procedures.
FM
quote:

In a direct contradiction to Garrido-Lowe’s claims in her letter where she tells Nadir that he is not utilising the party’s seat in Parliament to its full potential, Muhammad said to Nadir in the letter, “I assure you that the Executive and Members recognize you as the legal representative for The United Force in Parliament and we commend you for the work you have done in Parliament during the last four terms as our Parliamentary Representative.”

FM
quote:
Originally posted by Demerara_Guy:
.. and, Mrs. Valerie Garrido-Lowe, TUF leader and Presidential Candidate, wants to become a member of parliament.


Maybe Maybe not! Your choice.
HM
quote:
Originally posted by Horse Man:
quote:
Originally posted by Demerara_Guy:

.. and, Mrs. Valerie Garrido-Lowe, TUF leader and Presidential Candidate, wants to become a member of parliament.


Maybe Maybe not! Your choice.


Choice is the issue??
FM
TUF Exec. Comm. strips Chairman of power PDF | Print |
Written by Demerara Waves
Thursday, 01 September 2011 17:09

The executive of The United Force (TUF) has relieved party chairman and prime ministerial candidate Ishmail Muhammad of his duties following a public spat over the parliamentary seat being held by former party leader Manzoor Nadir.
A release from TUF on Thursday stated that an executive committee meeting was held the previous day to which Muhammad had been summoned to explain recent actions but he failed to appear and a resolution was subsequently adopted to strip him of his responsibilities.
The summons stemmed from a letter Muhammad sent to Nadir in the wake of party leader Valerie Garrido-Lowe calling on Nadir to give up his seat, also by way of letter. In her missive the leader said that it was a decision emanating from the executive members.
Muhammad in his missive, which was also published in the newspapers, sought to apologise for Garrido-Lowe’s call saying that she had acted unilaterally and that Nadir relinquishing the seat had not been discussed at any executive meeting. He also appended the names of several executive members to his “apology” saying that they had given him permission to do so.
Since then three members have since said they gave Muhammad no permission to do so while the party leader has said that it was at an “informal meeting” that the decision on Nadir giving up the seat was made. It was the usage of the executive members name without their permission for Muhammad was disciplined.
According to the minutes from Wednesday’s meeting, he had been notified orally of the meeting and the Executive Committee was satisfied that he was avoiding receipt of the Notice informing him of the meeting to afford him a hearing into and concerning his conduct.
It added that in his absence the Committee used the powers conferred on it by the party’s constitution to have Muhammad “forthwith and immediately removed from the Executive Committee of The United Force and be forthwith and immediately relieved of the office of Chairman of The United Force.
The call for Nadir to give up his seat comes as TUF tries to distance itself from the PPP/C government under which Nadir has twice served as minister.
At a news briefing on Tuesday Garrido-Lowe said TUF wants to go into the 2011 general election as an independent party without any strings to the PPP/C.
“The election is just a few months away and The United Force wants to have a fair chance in contesting the elections and we want to give the Guyanese people another choice to vote for and we can’t be another choice if Mr. Nadir is still in parliament not representing us,” Garrido-Lowe said.
According to her, it is a “principled position.”
“We don’t want o continue to be seen or thought of as the PPP, we don’t want that … so if we have to ask back for our seat it is better late than never.”
The TUF Leader said she hoped that Nadir would do the "decent thing" and give up the seat.
Nadir, who is the Representative of the List, cannot be recalled by the party since he holds that power and has stated that he would only relinquish the seat if a majority of the 65-member House voted for him to do so. The PPP/C holds the majority in the House.
HM
Is Manzeer next?

Expelling Nadir from TUF is an option - Party Leader PDF | Print |
Written by Kwesi Isles
Tuesday, 30 August 2011 17:59


Manzoor Nadir
Leader of The United Force (TUF) Valerie Garrido-Lowe says expelling Manzoor Nadir from the party is an option if he keeps his parliamentary seat despite a call for him to give it up.
Her statement at a news media briefing on Tuesday was in response to a question on whether the party would go that route to remove Nadir who is currently serving as the Labour Minister in the PPP/C government.
Nadir, who is the Representative of the List, cannot be recalled by the party since he holds that power and has stated that he would only relinquish the seat if a majority of the 65-member House voted for him to do so. The PPP/C holds the majority in the House.
“We want to go forward as an independent party; we do not want Mr. Nadir’s manipulation from outside, we will not entertain that. A decision will have to be made to do just that if he continues or he tries manipulating executives from this party,” Garrido-Lowe said.
As the party looks to distance itself from the PPP/C with whom Nadir has twice served as minister, the TUF Leader said Nadir is still influencing members of her party’s executive as was evident by the split over the call for him to vacate the seat.
Garrido-Lowe in an August 18 letter to Nadir made the call stating that it was a decision of the executive members but shortly after TUF Chairman Ismail Muhammad issued an “apology” to Nadir saying that it was a unilateral decision on her part. Garrido-Lowe has since said that the decision was made at an “informal meeting” of the executive.
In his apology Muhammad stated that several executive members had given permission for their names to be appended to the missive as a show of support for Nadir. Demerara Waves Online News (www.demwaves.com) understands that there were six names on the letter.
However, three members whose names were reportedly on the “apology” appeared at Tuesday’s media briefing with statements saying they had not agreed to have their names affixed to the missive. They supported the call for Nadir’s removal.
According to Garrido-Lowe, they will take disciplinary measures against Muhammad who will be summoned to an emergency meeting where he will have to answer for his actions.
“In the meantime he will not be allowed to transact any business, schedule meetings, write or speak on behalf of TUF until this matter is deal with by the leader and other executives,” she stated.
The call for Nadir to resign the seat is largely symbolic since life of the current parliament ends next month with its dissolution.
“The election is just a few months away and The United Force wants to have a fair chance in contesting the elections and we want to give the Guyanese people another choice to vote for and we can’t be another choice if Mr. Nadir is still in parliament not representing us,” Garrido-Lowe said.
According to her, it is a “principled position.”
“We don’t want o continue to be seen or thought of as the PPP, we don’t want that … so if we have to ask back for our seat it is better late than never.”
The TUF Leader said she hoped that Nadir would do the "decent thing" and give up the seat.
HM
TUF Exec. Comm. strips Chairman of power PDF | Print |
Written by Demerara Waves
Thursday, 01 September 2011 17:09

The executive of The United Force (TUF) has relieved party chairman and prime ministerial candidate Ishmail Muhammad of his duties following a public spat over the parliamentary seat being held by former party leader Manzoor Nadir.
A release from TUF on Thursday stated that an executive committee meeting was held the previous day to which Muhammad had been summoned to explain recent actions but he failed to appear and a resolution was subsequently adopted to strip him of his responsibilities.
The summons stemmed from a letter Muhammad sent to Nadir in the wake of party leader Valerie Garrido-Lowe calling on Nadir to give up his seat, also by way of letter. In her missive the leader said that it was a decision emanating from the executive members.
Muhammad in his missive, which was also published in the newspapers, sought to apologise for Garrido-Lowe’s call saying that she had acted unilaterally and that Nadir relinquishing the seat had not been discussed at any executive meeting. He also appended the names of several executive members to his “apology” saying that they had given him permission to do so.
Since then three members have since said they gave Muhammad no permission to do so while the party leader has said that it was at an “informal meeting” that the decision on Nadir giving up the seat was made. It was the usage of the executive members name without their permission for Muhammad was disciplined.
According to the minutes from Wednesday’s meeting, he had been notified orally of the meeting and the Executive Committee was satisfied that he was avoiding receipt of the Notice informing him of the meeting to afford him a hearing into and concerning his conduct.
It added that in his absence the Committee used the powers conferred on it by the party’s constitution to have Muhammad “forthwith and immediately removed from the Executive Committee of The United Force and be forthwith and immediately relieved of the office of Chairman of The United Force.
The call for Nadir to give up his seat comes as TUF tries to distance itself from the PPP/C government under which Nadir has twice served as minister.
At a news briefing on Tuesday Garrido-Lowe said TUF wants to go into the 2011 general election as an independent party without any strings to the PPP/C.
“The election is just a few months away and The United Force wants to have a fair chance in contesting the elections and we want to give the Guyanese people another choice to vote for and we can’t be another choice if Mr. Nadir is still in parliament not representing us,” Garrido-Lowe said.
According to her, it is a “principled position.”
“We don’t want o continue to be seen or thought of as the PPP, we don’t want that … so if we have to ask back for our seat it is better late than never.”
The TUF Leader said she hoped that Nadir would do the "decent thing" and give up the seat.
Nadir, who is the Representative of the List, cannot be recalled by the party since he holds that power and has stated that he would only relinquish the seat if a majority of the 65-member House voted for him to do so. The PPP/C holds the majority in the House.
HM
Tough stances in TUF: Who really is party leader? PDF | Print |
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Thursday, 01 September 2011 21:13

A leadership tussle in The United Force (TUF) on Thursday deepened between Valerie Garrido-Lowe and Manzoor Nadir, with both factions claiming to have the upper-hand.
The worsening rift stems from Garrido-Lowe formally demanding that Nadir vacates the party's lone parliamentary seat because, according to her, he was not operating in the best interest of TUF.
After the Garrido-Lowe side announced earlier Thursday, as reported here, that Ishmail Muhammad was ousted as party chairman, a pro-Nadir group passed a resolution to throw her out of the party altogether so that he could again take over.
They resolved that she be “immediately removed as a member, as the leader and as the presidential candidate” and that she is no longer authorized to transact business on behalf of the TUF.
“The executive hereby appoints Mr. Manzoor Nadir as leader of the party and an executive decision is made on the way forward,” according to the September 1 resolution made at the party’s headquarters, Unity House.
Those endorsing the resolution are Treasurer, Dennis Lee; Chairman; Geraldine Charles (Region 1), Khemraj Singh (Region 6), Michael Jaundoo, Murtland Williams and June Williams.
But when contacted, Garrido-Lowe insisted that she is the leader because she was elected on May 29 at a special members conference when Nadir stepped down.
She deemed Thursday’s meeting unconstitutional, saying that she did not agree, attend or was not informed about it.
“I am the leader, I am constitutionally elected and as far as I am concerned, it’s because I am a woman that they want to bully me,” she told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com )
With less than three months before Guyanese are expected to go the polls, Garrido-Lowe did not rule out seeking legal advice on how to end the wrangle.
Calling the meeting and resolution a sham, she accused Nadir of “bullying his way right back into the party to manipulate it as he has always done.”
Accusing Nadir of using Muhammad to do his “dirty work,” she charged that her predecessor was opposed to de-linking TUF from the governing Peoples Progressive Party (PPP).
Nadir, a two-time holder of a ministerial position in the PPP administration since 2001, defended his pro-PPP stance, saying the party was part of a coalition or inclusive arrangement.
He has said that he would vacate the parliamentary seat only if the majority of the candidates decide that he should.
HM
war in de east war down south


Lock-out plunges TUF in deeper leadership crisis PDF | Print |
Written by Denis Scott Chabrol
Friday, 02 September 2011 11:12

Unity House- headquarters of The United Force (TUF)- on Friday was the scene of even greater disunity on Friday morning when Valerie Garrido-Lowe who was elected at a party members conference alleged that she was locked out.
Manzoor Nadir, who a faction of the executive has agreed should take over as party leader, denied knowledge of a lock-out.
He counter-charged by saying when executives turned up for a meeting on Thursday at the New Garden and Robb Streets-based office, the building was closed and they were forced to meet on the middle floor.
Nadir said he did not know whether the locks were changed. “She needs time to reconcile so we are giving her a chance,” he said in apparent reference to moves to depose her as party leader.
The weeks of brouhaha date back to public calls by Garrido-Lowe for Nadir to vacate TUF's parliamentary seat. Retaliating to that move, the General Secretary, Ishamail Muhammad and several others dissociated themselves from her letter and backing Nadir. She lashed back by sacking Muhammad who teamed up with others to pass Thursday's resilution effectively throwing her out of the party.
That resolution by several pro-Nadir persons states that Garrido-Lowe is no longer a member, presidential candidate or leader of the party and that she no longer authorized to transact party business. Nadir explained that Article 11 of the TUF’s constitution empowers the executive to remove any officer or group of persons.
But Garrido-Lowe alleged that when she turned up at the office around 8:30, she was greeted by new locks. On receiving legal advice, she broke the new locks to both the gate and the door.
One entering, she said she locked herself inside. “If I open, I don’t think it is the right,” she told Demerara Waves Online News ( www.demwaves.com )
She accused Ishmail Muhammad, the man she said she ousted as General Secretary, and two other persons of being abusive to her.
Garrido-Lowe said she was writing all the embassies, informing them of the crisis facing TUF.
Police, she said, were summoned but declined to get involved in the matter and advised that they consult their lawyers.
HM

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