Sitting of House pushed back

…as parties seek replacements for resigned MPs

THE National Assembly will no longer meet next Thursday as the government seeks replacement for its four coalition-Members of Parliament (MPs) with dual citizenship, who have stepped down in their quest to uphold the Constitution and the decisions of the court.

President David Granger, on Wednesday, said though he accepted the resignation of the MPs, their seats in the Parliament will not become vacant until they submit their letters of resignation to the Speaker, Dr. Barton Scotland, and declarations are thereafter made.

Pending those resignations in the Parliament, the President has not approved replacements at this time; however, the Guyana Chronicle understands that the search is on for new MPs. Their names will be extracted from the APNU+AFC Coalition list of candidates to fill the vacancies that will be created upon the resignation of Vice-President and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin; and Minister of Public Service, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine.

In a televised statement on Wednesday, Leader of the House, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, said the National Assembly will now meet “later in the month” as against Thursday April 11, 2019. Government’s Chief Whip in the House, Minister of Social Protection, Amna Ally, also confirmed that the National Assembly will no longer sit next Thursday and a new date will be determined. According to Minister Ally, there was “nothing spectacular” that caused the rescheduling of the sitting of the National Assembly by the government. “We just find that the 11th (April) was not a convenient date, so we are going to have it on another date,” the Government Chief Whip told the Guyana Chronicle in a brief telephone interview.

Of the four MPs that tendered their resignation, Minister Gaskin hails from the Alliance For Change (AFC) – the smaller faction of the AFC+APNU Coalition Government, while Minister Roopnaraine is a member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), one of the five parties that make up the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). Minister Greenidge and Minister Harmon are Executive Members of the Peoples National Congress/Reform (PNC/R), the dominant party in the APNU.

On Wednesday, Leader of AFC, Raphael Trotman, commended Gaskin for his principled action of resigning as a minister having being born in the United Kingdom, and therefore holds dual citizenship as a result. According to Trotman, immediately after Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire’s January 31 decision on the no-confidence motion that addressed the issue of dual citizens in the Parliament, Gaskin formally conveyed to the party his intention to resign both as a Member of Parliament and as a minister. “The party deliberated extensively on the matter and requested of Mr. Gaskin that he hold on to his resignation until we were able to coordinate with our coalition partner. Mr. Gaskin reiterated his position on numerous occasions subsequently and requested that the party puts systems in place to allow for his resignation. The party also communicated Mr. Gaskin’s decision to our coalition partner well in advance of the announcement yesterday,” Trotman said. He said AFC views Gaskin’s action as honourable, commendable and completely in accordance with the ruling of the court.

While ruling in a case brought by Compton Reid, a resident of Berbice, against recalled Member of Parliament Charrandass Persaud, the Chief Justice noted that it was unconstitutional for a person with dual citizenship status to occupy a seat in National Assembly. It was pointed out that Article 155 (1) of the Constitution states that “no person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who (a) is, by virtue of his or her own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.” Reid’s attorney have argued that Persaud, a citizen of Canada, ought not to have been in Parliament and breached the Constitution when he accepted election to the House, knowing very well that he has dual citizenship.

REPLACEMENTS
On the issue of a replacement for Gaskin, Trotman said there are a number of eligible AFC members, Donna Mathoo being one of them. According to him, the party is actively considering her along with other members. “The criteria would be the same for everyone,” he said, noting that the person must be competent, upright, available, and has the ability to represent the AFC in Parliament.

In the case of WPA, its Chairperson, Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, said the party will await Dr. Roopnaraine’s resignation to the Speaker before deciding on his replacement. “Once a resignation letter is sent, not to the President but to the Speaker, WPA will then make a pronouncement on it, but we want to make sure that the procedures are followed,” Sarabo-Halley told this newspaper.

Meanwhile, AFC and the government by extension have extended gratitude to the four ministers. “The party thanks Mr. Gaskin for his exemplary and distinguished service to the nation as a minister and Member of Parliament and particularly for his work in setting the foundations for an enabling policy environment for the private sector to flourish. The party further commends the three other ministers, Joseph Harmon, Carl Greenidge and Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who have taken a similar course of action, and does look forward to them continuing to serve Guyana in other capacities,” Minister Trotman said.

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.