Britain Moves To Replace Jagan

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30625, 16 December 1964, Page 21

Britain Moves To Replace Jagan

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright) LONDON, December 14. Britain today amended the British Guiana Constitution to provide for the replacement of the Colony’s Premier, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, who has refused to resign after last week’s elections.

A Colonial Office spokesman said tonight the necessary Order-in-Council for the constitutional amendment had been made today. The Governor of British Guiana, Sir Richard Luyt, has already invited Mr Forbes Burnham, leader of the opposition People’s National Congress (P.N.C.) to become Premier and form a Government.

The present Constitution, drafted by the previous British Conservative Government, did not provide for the immediate resignation of a Premier who was unable as a result of the elections to command a majority in the Legislative Assembly. In the elections, conducted for the first time on a proportional representation system, Dr. Jagan’s mainlyIndian Peoples’ Progressive Party (P.P.P.) emerged as the strongest single political force but without an over-all majority. The P.P.P. won 24 of the 53 seats, the mainly-Negro People’s National Congress won 22 seats and seven seats were won by the United Force Party, led by Mr Peter d’Aguiar, which will form a coalition Government with the P.N.C.

Dr. Jagan, who had described the electoral system as a “fraud and a fiddle” to get him out of power caused a constitutional dilemma by refusing to resign and saying that the British Government would have to force him out. There were fears of renewed racial violence in the

tense colony and British troops stationed there were put on a full alert.