PPP manipulating constitution - PNC - Hoyte says he doesn't recognise Jagdeo By Gitanjali Singh Stabroek News August 11, 1999 PNC leader, Desmond Hoyte says the move to appoint Finance Minister Bharrat Jagdeo as president is a "gross manipulation" of the Constitution and the party is considering its options, including court action. Hoyte would not be pinned down on what specific action the party intended to take after it was rebuffed when it attempted to raise the matter in Parliament on Monday as an issue of urgent public importance. But what is clear is that Jagdeo will not be recognised as a legitimate president by the PNC, in keeping with its non-recognition of President Janet Jagan. Speaking with reporters at Congress Place yesterday morning on President Jagan's announcement that she was stepping down and Jagdeo will be the new president, Hoyte asked whether Guyanese were being asked to believe that former prime minister, Sam Hinds was not a fit and proper person to succeed Mrs Jagan. He noted that when Mrs Jagan is overseas, Hinds is the one who performs the functions of the president. Hoyte said the PNC found the manipulation of the Constitution to meet the PPP's ends, "offensive and unacceptable". "The PNC has never acknowledged Mrs Jagan as the legitimate President and any person hand-picked to succeed her will find himself in the same position," Hoyte asserted. The PNC had attempted to block the swearing in of President Jagan in December 1997 with a court order, but the order was served at a ceremony to mark her swearing in. Mrs Jagan had been sworn in earlier in the day. Last Monday in Parliament, Hoyte moved to debate the issue of Jagdeo's succession as a matter of urgent public importance but was denied the opportunity by Speaker, Derek Jagan. "It is the view of my party that this devious action will result in increased instability in the country since it is inconsistent with the whole spirit and intent of the constitutional provisions," Hoyte said in a letter to the Speaker. He also alluded to the party's position on recognising Jagdeo as president. Hoyte said the Speaker used two "ridiculous" points to reject the motion; that the envelope with the motion was wrongly addressed to the deputy clerk of the National Assembly though the letter was addressed to the Speaker and that he, Jagan, was advised that all action taken by the government was constitutional. The PNC leader said that such rulings stifle the opposition as it cannot ventilate key issues in Parliament. He told reporters on Monday afternoon that the opposition would have to resort to "extra-parliamentary action". Asked whether he did not believe that succession was a party issue and in this case an arrangement was in place to facilitate Jagdeo's accession and one to which Hinds did not object, Hoyte said that his party's concern was that the constitutional provision and its intentions were being manipulated by the PPP which is making the country a "laughing stock". He also said that if when the PPP announced its A-team it meant that Jagdeo was to succeed Jagan, the party has perpetrated a great hoax on the country. Hoyte will not be attending Jagdeo's swearing in as president this afternoon, though he was invited. Neither was he in a position to say whether he saw himself meeting Jagdeo as the new president at anytime. He contended that one thing he has learnt in politics is to never say never. A © page from: Guyana: Land of Six Peoples