The hierarchy of the CPDM has cautioned militants to duly relay complaints to the rightful quarters following grumbling about the absence of membership cards at the base.
Barely a few weeks after the CPDM launched the special sale of membership cards and collection of contributions in all Sections within the national territory and abroad, under the supervision of section presidents, some militants have been uttering their disgruntlements. This, following the accusations levied on some section presidents for withholding the cards. The main issue is that some section presidents who signed out the cards from the delegates sent from the Central committee to the regions are withholding them, some claiming that the cards are finished or unavailable. These accusations seem not to be baseless as they have reached hierarchy’s ear that is, at the general secretariat of the party, prompting them to study ways of resolving the bottleneck.According to article 70 of the by-laws of the basic texts of the CPDM, “the cards of the party and of its specialized organisations shall be sold by the respective Branch Executives under the supervision of the treasurers of the said organs”. Nowhere in this article are section presidents authorised to sell these cards, reason why they should not even be in their keeping. Their main role in the whole process is to “distribute membership and contribution cards by Branch and by Organ (CPDM, WCPDM, YCPDM) according to needs” as stipulated in the Secretary General’s circular. Section presidents also have the duty of forwarding “a balance sheet report on the special sale of Party cards to the Secretary General of the Central Committee, accompanied by the list of militants,” which will be expected not later than January 10, 2015.The exercise which ends by December 31 is an occasion for militants and non militants of the party to update their contributions and engagements vis-a-vis the party. This will also permit those vying for elective positions in the party to get their records straight, a possibility which is being hindered by some section presidents as some militants have intimated. The unacceptable behaviour adopted by some section presidents is one of the reasons for which teams would be on the field by December 10, to evaluate the level of cards sold out so far. While the hierarchy is hoping that the situation might change in the coming days, militants are nonetheless called to understand that membership cars are available, and that section presidents have no rights to withhold or sell them. The former are called upon to channel any complaints to hierarchy in a bid for the operation which ends in a couple of weeks to be a success.
Claudette Chin
