Stabroek News
April 19, 2001

With President Bharrat Jagdeo due to leave today for Canada to attend the third Summit of the Americas, it is not likely that he and PNC REFORM leader, Desmond Hoyte, will meet before next week.

However, it is possible that their representatives, Reepu Daman Persaud and Oscar Clarke could meet again as early as tomorrow to finalise the details for the meeting.

Following their meeting earlier this week, Clarke, the PNC/R general secretary had told Stabroek News that Hoyte was anxious to have the meeting convened and he had been mandated to work towards that.

Persaud, parliamentary affairs minister, told Stabroek News that while President Jagdeo was also keen to have the meeting, he was concerned that it should be held in an atmosphere free from fear and intimidation. It was felt that Donna McKinnon's funeral procession through the city yesterday would have provided an indication as to whether such an atmosphere was possible.

But observers have told Stabroek News that the creation of such an atmosphere was not the responsibility only of the PNC/R but that it was incumbent on President Jagdeo to give some indication that he was willing to discuss reviewing the appointment of Dr Roger Luncheon as head of the Presidential Secretariat to see if some accommodation could be made to the PNC/R's concern that Dr Luncheon, as head of the Presidential Secretariat, would not be the head of the Public Service. Dr Luncheon's re-appointment has been the genesis of public demonstrations since April 9. Jagdeo has said he is willing to discuss the creation of a post of head of the public service.

The head of the Presidential Secretariat has been the acknowledged head of the Public Service since the post was created in October 1980, with the coming into force of the 1980 Constitution which created the executive presidency. In 1986, the post was combined with that of secretary to the Cabinet, a post recognised by the Constitution, to ensure its primacy.