Jagdeo, Hoyte agree that meeting would be in the national interest
PNC/R leader wants focused discussion
Stabroek News
May 24, 2002
President Bharrat Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte have agreed it would be in the national interest for them to meet to resolve the parliamentary impasse between the two sides but Hoyte has stated that a conducive framework first has to be devised.
Dialogue between the two leaders was suspended earlier this year by the PNC/R after Hoyte, its leader, reported to it that decisions that had been agreed in the talks were not being implemented.
Hoyte declared yesterday that his party would not allow government to act outside the Constitution in relation to the appointment of service commissions and would take any action necessary to prevent this.
The PPP/C government has been at odds with the opposition parties over the composition of the proposed Parliament Management Commit-tee and the planned new sectoral committees of Parliament. Caught in this dispute were the various service commissions, which could not be activated as the appointive committee of Parliament was not activated.
Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, announced on Wednesday that government would use its parliamentary majority to activate this committee, which would then be responsible for the various appointments to the judicial, police, teaching and public service commissions.
President Jagdeo wrote to the Opposition Leader on May 9 requesting a meeting at the earliest opportunity because of the urgency and importance of a resolution to the impasse over the parliamentary bodies.
"I wish to bring to your attention that in spite of the lengthy period of negotiations between Mr R.D. Persaud and Mr Lance Carberry, of the PPP/C and PNC/R respectively, the resolution of the parliamentary impasse has not occurred. I am convinced that we both recognise the urgent need to resolve this important national matter," the President wrote.
Hoyte, in his reply on May 14, agreed that the matter should be resolved as early as possible in the national interest. He stated, however, that it would be disastrous if any meeting between the two leaders should prove to be inconclusive. The Opposition Leader, who is also leader of the PNC/R, indicated to the President that he did not wish to be engaged in an exercise in futility.
"Consequently, in order to create a conducive framework, I would propose that, preparatory to any meeting, our two representatives should meet and jointly document for our consideration, the precise points of difference with respect to each of the committees so that our discussions could be focused on relevant, not extraneous issues," Hoyte stated.
He said the fact could not be ignored that Luncheon, Minister of Health, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, and other government spokesmen have been making public comments on the matter. "These comments not only mis-state the issues, to put it mildly, but seem calculated to foreclose definitely the possibility of a resolution. In particular, Dr Luncheon's threat that the government would proceed to violate the constitutional prescription and act unilaterally is wholly unacceptable. Needless to say, such a course of action would automatically trigger the stoutest challenge."
At a press conference hosted by the PNC/R yesterday, Hoyte said his party would not allow unconstitutional acts by the government.
He disclosed that President Jagdeo has not replied to his letter of May 14 but noted the comments by Luncheon, whom he presumed was speaking on the President's behalf, which hinted that government was proceeding to activate the service commissions.
He added: "We will take all action as might be necessary to prevent such a distortion from taking place in our political life. That's a serious statement and I don't think anybody ought to underestimate what I'm saying."
The government's view is that the convening of the Appointive Committee would not be a violation of the Constitution as all that is required for it is a simple parliamentary majority.