PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo said all three of the People’s Progress Party/Civic Members of Parliament with dual citizenship must resign from Parliament. According to him, renouncing their foreign citizenship, in the case of two, is simply not sufficient.

Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Wednesday, said PPP/C’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira will renounce her Canadian citizen as well as Odinga Lumumba, who holds American citizenship. Adrian Anamayah, according to Jagdeo, due to obligation, cannot relinquish his foreign status. But Prime Minister Nagamootoo poured cold water on Jagdeo’s announcement, demanding that all three of the Opposition MPs with dual citizenship should resign.

In a televised interview, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government has taken the ‘high ground’ by having its dual citizenship Members of Parliament resign, in accordance with the pronouncements of both the High Court and Court of Appeal that it is unconstitutional for a person who has sworn allegiance to a foreign power to be a Member of Parliament.

“Guyanese at home and abroad should applaud this decision to boldly address the dual citizenship issue, which became a major national controversy after an MP who holds Canadian citizenship, voted to bring down the duly elected APNU+AFC Government,” the Prime Minister said.

He said with the resignation of MPs with dual citizenship from the Government benches, the coalition has taken the lead in the matter. He noted that the world is now closely watching the Opposition to determine whether it will take similar actions but thus far, the Opposition has provided “weak” excuses.

“We have heard feeble excuses that three Opposition MPs including the Canadian citizen who seconded the motion against the Government, would only renounce their foreign citizenship but will not resign from Parliament. This is unacceptable and it is an opened and contemptuous disobedience of the court. The Opposition’s dual citizens must also renounce and resign,” Prime Minister Nagamootoo said.

The Alliance for Change (AFC), a partner in the coalition, has also called on all members of the National Assembly who hold dual citizenship to act in accordance with the ruling of the court and to be in good standing with the laws of Guyana and the provisions of the Constitution.

On the Government benches, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who holds American citizenship and Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin and Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who are all citizens of the UK, have resigned. President David Granger accepted their resignation on Monday April 1, 2019. However, to give effect to their resignation, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, must be notified in writing.