We must follow the rules to change the rules

Dear Editor,
Harry Gill’s letter, “Corbin supporters seem obsessed with the need to respect Party rules” (Kaieteur News 30/8/2010) confirms that reading does not necessarily translate to understanding and understanding does not necessarily translate to doing what is correct.
Gill quotes me saying, “Many who tell the party what it must do, if you ask them about the party’s rules to support what they are saying they do not have a clue, or if they do they don’t care for applying the rules, or if they want changes in the party they don’t want to follow the rules.
The PNC was founded by Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Burnham was a stickler for discipline and obedience for rules.
He would have wanted his party to unite around those and he gave his party those rules in a party constitution; those who don’t like it when it doesn’t serve their unruly interests, too bad.”
In as much as my thoughts were quoted Gill failed to show his substantive disagreement with them or his knowledge of the PNC’s rules that supports what he is promoting.
In giving examples of rules changed elsewhere Gill does not provide inside information to show how the rules were amended. He offers an example of a rule being changed in the Catholic Church which he says was “imposed.” That is not the way the Catholic Church or any established church works. Rules are made or changed by the decision-making bodies in the churches.
The PNC has the same structure and those who want to amend the party’s rules must also follow the same procedure.
Mr. Robert Corbin is leader of the PNC because the Party’s members elected him. This goes for the PNC as much as it goes for the AFC and PPP.
And this makes me repeat my point that everybody likes to tell the PNC what to do with little or no knowledge or respect for how the PNC works.
Some offer ‘advice’ to the PNC but will not accept the same advice for themselves or offer it to their party or organisation they head and some actually never headed anything and are in total ignorance but will still offer advice.
Social relations are dynamic but they are influenced by rules and to change any of those rules procedure has to be followed.
Nobody gets up tomorrow and decides driving on the left hand side of the road is foolish so he will drive on the right.
He will get a traffic ticket for disobeying the rules of the road. If per chance there is a desire to change this rule a procedure has to be followed to make the change.
Those who want to change the rules in the PNC have to follow the procedure in the rules that would allow for the change.
And lest it be forgotten or misunderstood only PNC members can change the rules as with any organisation that has rules and membership.
We must follow the rules to change the rules unless Gill and others are promoting anarchy.
Sonia Clark
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The granting of bail

Dear Editor,
It seems that some of our magistrates do not correctly apply the principles governing the granting of bail. Bail is to ensure that a person attends his trial and the circumstances of the person charged ought to be taken into account.
Granting bail in a substantial sum surely amounts to a denial of bail.
Mr. R. J. Eleazar has been writing several letters in the press on the issue of bail and the points he has been making are quite valid.
The principles governing the granting of bail by magistrates ought to be discussed at meetings of magistrates so that magistrates can be reminded of the principles involved.
Many magistrates have been remanding persons to prison willy-nilly. Are they aware of the serious situation of over crowding that exists in the various prisons in Guyana?
I firmly believe that the magistrates should visit one of the prisons and then they would realise the explosive situation that exists.
Cecil C. Kennard