PNC initiates move to pick Hoyte's successor
The General Council of the People's National Congress (PNC) yesterday unanimously agreed to put in motion arrangements to identify a successor to its leader, Desmond Hoyte SC. It did in so in response to the challenge he threw out to it, reminding them that he had no claim to immortality and there was a need to enhance the party's ability to effect a seamless transition if such an eventuality became necessary. Before he challenged the General Council members to initiate the process to identify prospective successors, Hoyte asked for and received an affirmation of their belief in his ability to lead the party into the new millennium. He was later to explain in response to a question from the floor that whether the millennium commenced next year or 2001 was unimportant in the context of the tasks which the party had to undertake. A committee of no more than seven members which would include the general secretary, the chairman, vice chairman and treasurer of the party is to be established to identify the mechanism by which a successor would be chosen. The party's congress next year is the deadline for the completion of the process. The committee will be expected to report periodically to the party's executive committee as to the progress of its work. Sources close to the party's General Council said that in his address to the Council, Hoyte reminded its members that he first raised the issue in his address to the leadership retreat at Linden in June. His address also laid out for the Council the tasks before the party if it is going to win the next elections scheduled to be held by January 17, 2001. In his address too, the PNC leader also reiterated his demand that President Bharrat Jagdeo should declare the capacity in which he proposes to meet with him. Hoyte observed that if the President was not the leader of his party or its representative in terms of the Herdmanston Accord, he could not bind the PPP/Civic to honour any undertaking he might reach in the discussions with him. Hoyte and Janet Jagan, the President of Guyana, signed in the capacity as representatives of their parties. The General Council approved of its leader's stance on this issue. In discussing Hoyte's address, a number of speakers recognised that the succession issue had to be settled and urged him to anoint a successor. Others wanted the leaders from whom a successor is to be chosen to emerge as a result of a proven track record of work and a demonstration of their capacity to lead the party. When the motion was debated, speakers supported the motion for a number of reasons. One stalwart of past election campaigns, said his support for the motion was that with the issue of succession out of the way, the party could them focus its energies on winning the upcoming elections in 2001. Others too felt that with the issue now in the open, the party would reap the benefit of the involvement in the process of many persons who would have shied away otherwise. Yet others gave their support believing that the search would help to identify a corps of leaders who could support Hoyte. They felt too that the experience to be gained from such exposure would enhance the richness of the pool from which a successor would be chosen. The supporters of the motion all stressed that the move was being taken in the interest of the party and not as an indictment of Hoyte's leadership. They noted too that the party had benefited from Hoyte's leadership because of the mechanism which was in place at the time to allow him to emerge as the leader of the government and party. Yesterday's meeting was the party's last general council for the year.
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