Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, has written to all incoming Members of Parliament (MPs) to remind them of the details of Article 155 (1) of the Constitution which states, “No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who – (a) is, by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”
The issue of MPs holding dual citizenship was raised after December 21, 2018 when Alliance For Change (AFC) MP, Charrandass Persaud, voted in favour of the no-confidence motion against the APNU/AFC Coalition Government.
In 2019, the Court of Appeal ruled that someone who holds dual citizenship cannot be elected to a position in the National Assembly.
Isaacs’s letter read, “I am therefore asking those Members who held allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or State during the Eleventh Parliament, and have relinquished same, to submit proof of relinquishment to me.
“Further, I am advising all other Members to ensure that they are in conformity with Article 155 (1) (a) of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”
MPs that held dual citizenship were Minister of State Joseph Harmon; Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge; Business Minister, Dominic Gaskin; and Public Service Minister, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine from the APNU/AFC Coalition. The PPP/C had Adrian Anamaya, Odinga Lamumba, and Gail Teixeira.
Gail Teixeira has submitted proof that she has relinquished her foreign citizenship. This was disclosed by Isaacs who said that he will seek guidance on how to proceed.
