But the Old Guard isn’t so easily hushed. This evening, we received three statements, one from the PUP’s Standing Up Against Injustice, the other from the Toledo East Executive Committee and the last from Florencio Marin Jr.
First, the PUP’s Against Injustice who made a hearty defense of Said Musa last week, says it renounces, rejects, and disapproves all of the decisions taken by the executive today. And while that was expected, the group goes on to say its supports all those members and supporters of the PUP who are being persecuted due to the, “wrongheaded course of action by the present leadership of the party.”
The next statement from Mike Espat, the Chair of the Toledo East Committee says that he was not informed that it was illegal to attend the convention. Espat notes that he was barred from attending Today’s executive meeting and in fact barred from entering Independence Hall. He calls on the leadership to consult with his constituency executive.
And then finally, the statement by Florencio Marin Jr. says that the National Executive does not have the constitutional authority to overturn the convention. He invites the Executive to meet immediately to resolve what he sees as outstanding issues.
But it’s not gonna happen. Politics is a game of numbers and with the exception of 8 constituencies, Briceno feels he has the numbers to push on ahead while at the same time casting aside the Old Guard that his leadership sees as politically costly baggage. This will continue to develop, and we’ll keep you posted.
