WILLEMSTAD – The board of the Partido Nashonal di Pueblo (PNP) has publicly condemned statements made by one of its members against another party member involved in the race for the party leadership, warning that the selection process must remain fair, transparent and impartial.
In a statement issued Sunday, October 5, the PNP board said it had taken note of comments made by a party member during a radio broadcast concerning another PNP member.
According to the board, the comments went as far as defaming a party member who is competing for the leadership while expressing support for another person who is also seeking the position.
Former party leader Maria Liberia Peters
The board described the conduct as unacceptable and contrary to the spirit of the party's Christian Democratic ideology. It also said the statements constituted a serious violation of the PNP's internal standards governing order, decency and discipline.
The PNP leadership explicitly distanced itself from the remarks, stressing that they were made in a personal capacity and do not represent the position of the party board.
The statement comes as the PNP goes through an internal process to select its party leader.
According to the board, that process must be conducted in a clean, transparent, proper and impartial manner, with all members receiving equal treatment and equal opportunities.
The board said it does not intend to become involved in a public dispute or in disagreements between individual party members. It nevertheless called on everyone involved in the leadership process to maintain mutual respect and refrain from statements that could raise questions about the impartiality, integrity or proper conduct of the election.
The PNP board said it will continue to safeguard the principles of its Christian Democratic philosophy and ensure that the leadership process proceeds in an orderly and transparent manner, with respect for everyone involved.
The party listed among its guiding principles trust in a Supreme Being, social justice, solidarity, shared responsibility, subsidiarity, pluralism and stewardship.
The statement did not identify the member who made the disputed remarks, the leadership candidate targeted by them, or the candidate who reportedly received the member's support.