The executives of the National Youth Council of Dominica (NYCD) has suspended has suspended the council’s president, Paul Baron. The president’s suspension will remain in effect until April 2020 when the council’s general assembly shall convene. First Vice President Kerdisha St. Louis has stepped up as acting president till the next general assembly.
The council executives said Baron’s suspension took effect from October 15. The executives said they decided to suspend Baron because he consistently conducted himself in a manner deemed unacceptable to his position as NYCD’s president. They accused him of unbecoming actions and statements which denigrated the name and reputation of the council.
The executives stated that since they were constituted in May 2018, they had tried their utmost best to “be impactful, transparent and fully committed to the cause of developing the Dominican youth.” They revealed however that several incidents traceable to Baron have made the council board to look irresponsible and have tarnished the council’s name and reputation.
The board invoked their powers to suspend the president from the provisions of the NYCD constitution which states in Article 8, Section 10 that: “The National Executive shall have the power to suspend a member of any Committee pending the calling of a General Assembly to resolve the matter provided that two thirds (2/3) of the total membership of the National Executive are in favor of such suspension.”
Based on this provision, seven of the total eight executives voted to suspend Baron, sealing his fate. The executives went further to warn the suspended Baron that he must no longer project himself as the president of NYCD or do/say anything to in any capacity as the council’s president until the general assembly will sit again next year. They warned the general public never to deal with him in any official capacity as a member of executive of the council until further notice.
Earlier this year, Baron was accused of publicly endorsing the candidacy of Cozier Frederick as the DLP representative for the Salybia constituency, a behaviour which contradicts Section 3, Article VIII (Code of Conduct) of the NYC constitution stating that no executives of NYCD must publicy endorse any political candidate in any media.
The section states that: “No member of the National Executive shall demonstrate openly in public forum, media appearance, political platform, or at such public events, show his partnership to any political party as this may have the potential to undermine the integrity and independence of the NYC.”
Based on this infraction, former executive member Stephenson “Jeff” Bellot asked Baron to resign from his position as president, and Chief Youth Development Office John Roach followed up on the demand by asking Baron to do “the honourable thing and resign” for flouting NYCD codes of conduct. Following his current suspension, an executive said Baron is free to contest again at the coming general assembly but it is doubtful if he will actually do this.
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