This article has been updated to include Anjali Apparudai's response to BC NDP and the BC NDP's decision.
As the BC NDP ponders the validity of Anjali Appadurai’s party leadership candidacy, Richmond’s Harold Steves thinks disqualifying Appadurai would leave a “black mark” on the NDP government.
According to a report leaked on Tuesday, chief electoral officer Elizabeth Cull is calling for the disqualification of Appadurai for allegedly engaging in “serious improper conduct.” A link to the report was included in an article in The Tyee.
Besides David Eby, Appadurai is the only other BC NDP leadership contender as current premier John Horgan steps aside.
Steves, a long-time Richmond city councillor and honourary lifetime NDP member, thinks the party would be “on pretty dangerous ground” if they decide to halt Appadurai’s bid for leadership.
He said accusations of Green Party members attempting to take over the NDP are “somewhat unbelievable” as, according to Steves, around 10,000 members have joined the NDP and the Green Party only has 3,700 members.
Steves publicly supported Appadurai early in her leadership bid, saying on Twitter, “I think I just endorsed someone. As a Dave Barrett ecosocialist it’s been heartbreaking to watch the @BCNDP descend into corporate liberalism over the decades. Anjali (Appadurai) gives me hope.”
The allegation is Dogwood, a non-profit that engages citizens to engage in key political “tipping points,” got people to sign up as NDP members in order to vote for Appadurai.
Steves doesn’t think Dogwood did anything wrong, saying their tactics are no different from when politicians such as Adrian Dix and Ujjal Dosanjh went to the Sikh community and Sikh temples for membership drives.
“I think the reason this is happening is they see that she has a very good opportunity, a very good chance of becoming leader, because so many angry former NDP members have joined,” he said.
“And, with that, many former members joining, we would have a major influence in the party.”
Steves said Appadurai represents the vision and policies of the NDP government led by David Barrett 50 years ago, while the current party’s policies supporting the Site C dam, LNG, fracking and so on are “totally anti-environmental” and are “almost dead opposite of the original NDP.”
“In my opinion, (Appadurai) represents all the good that used to be and the NDP that is no longer there today,” said Steves.
“If (Appadurai) is discredited and Eby becomes a leader, it’s just one more black mark on the present NDP government.”
In terms of Cull’s recommendation to disqualify Appadurai, Steves thinks it would “not be appropriate” to do so since “the wrongdoing wasn’t hers” and the practice of targeting certain communities for membership drives is “quite common.”
“If they’re pointing the finger at Dogwood then that was not her doing. They could discredit Dogwood but you don’t discredit the candidate,” he said, adding he believes most new members “do fit the rules.”
If the NDP’s executive council decides to disqualify Appadurai Wednesday evening, Steves thinks the legion of new members “aren’t going to stick around to support Eby.”
“Now that everybody knows there’s 10,000 angry people out there that want to change the NDP and the direction it’s going in, I don’t think you’re going to stop that group from having a major influence in politics from here on in,” he said.
Steves also think repercussions from tonight’s decision will ultimately affect existing election practices.
“It’s the first time that an environmental group has given support (to a candidate), but temples and unions have been doing it for decades,” he said.
“So, I think that in future nominations, if anybody finds the union is backing a candidate, then they better watch out.”
Impossible to create a level playing field due to misconduct, said CEO
In a series of tweets in response to Cull’s leaked recommendation, Appadurai said she believed her campaign was “treated unjustly from the start” and reiterated her campaign had “followed the rules, acted with integrity, & tried to make this a contest of ideas.”
On Wednesday evening, Apparudai tweeted a link to her full response to BC NDP regarding the allegations. In the document, she stated that she was "unsurprised" by the turn of events and alleged that the narrative of disqualification was "carefully cultivated online and in leaks to journalists for weeks." The narrative, Apparudai said, kept her campaign "in a state of crisis and distraction." She also pointed out a "pattern of bias" throughout her campaign and in Cull's report.
Appadurai, a climate activist and former federal NDP candidate, is the only challenger against former attorney general and housing minister David Eby in the leadership race. In September, both Elections BC and the BC NDP announced they were investigating allegations against Appadurai’s campaign.
According to Cull’s leaked report, she began investigations after receiving complaints in August and September about “possible third party involvement in the membership drives of leadership candidates.”
In the report, Cull alleged Appadurai was aware of and relied on Dogwood’s membership drive activities. She further alleged that it was “clear that Dogwood solicited fraudulent memberships,” and she was concerned Appadurai and her campaign didn’t take the issue “as seriously as they should have given the repeated incidents, inquiries and warnings.”
In explaining her decision to recommend disqualifying Appadurai, Cull said the Appadurai campaign’s alleged “improper coordination with third parties” made it “impossible to create a level playing field at this point” and impossible to restore the integrity of the leadership race to a state in which she would “have confidence.”
The report also mentioned a membership audit and spot check of new members were being conducted, with 3.5 times as many individuals contacted compared to the initial spot check of new membership applications.
Out of those who answered the call, 18.5 per cent turned out to be ineligible with less than one per cent admitting they did not pay for their own memberships, and the rest confirming they were members or supporters of the Green Party and other parties.
At the time of publication of this article, Appadurai’s “Let Her Run” petition to the BC NDP executive had exceeded 5,000 signatures.
The NDP executive met on Wednesday evening to decide on Appadurai’s candidacy and ultimately voted to disqualify her.
