…party leader’s attorney
WHILE not providing evidence that Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, has renounced his Canadian citizenship, the party leader’s attorney has noted that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) cannot remove his client’s name from the party’s list of candidates.
Attorney Kalam Juman-Yassin has argued that only the High Court can determine whether Shuman can qualify as a candidate to contest next month’s regional and general elections.
On Wednesday, January 22, 2020, Chair of GECOM, Justice Claudette Singh, wrote the LJP and requested confirmation of Shuman’s citizenship status in order to determine whether to remove his name as a candidate from his party.
On Friday, in a lengthy letter addressed to Justice Singh, Juman-Yassin noted that Shuman has done all within his power to renounce his Canadian citizenship.
He called on the GECOM chair to, “indicate any laws and or regulations that the Guyana Elections Commission has implemented with respect to the issue that you have requested Mr. Shuman to clarify.”
The lawyer noted that the move by GECOM to request evidence from Shuman regards his name remaining on the list of candidate for the LJP is in contravention of the Article 163(1) a of the Constitution of Guyana.
That article states that, “Subject to the provisions of this article, the High Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction to determine any question – (A) regarding the qualification of any person to be elected as a member of the National Assembly.”
He said that the question of Shuman’s qualification to take part in the elections can only be determined by the High Court of Guyana on an application by GECOM and/or any person who may have an interest.
Leader of the People’s Republic Party, Valerie Leung, has also accused GECOM of acting illegally in removing her name from her party’s list. “GECOM has acted illegally. GECOM has no authority to remove any …candidates from the list,” she declared in a video posted on Facebook on Friday. She also has not provided evidence regarding renunciation of her US citizenship status by Nomination Day.
Last week, while claiming that “political operatives” on the commission are working to disqualify him from contesting in the upcoming elections and, should they follow through, Shuman said that he will take the commission to court.
However, while he maintained his defence, the party leader has refused to give proof to the media that he was not a dual citizen while signatory to a Statutory Declaration Form which bars against dual citizenship.
While not providing even written evidence to attest to his client’s claims, Shuman’s attorney stated, on Friday, that the party leader renounced his citizenship on December 11, 2019 and he noted that the onus to provide proof does not lie with Shuman, but rather with GECOM, noting that there is no law which suggests that Shuman should do more than what he has, to provide proof.
The attorney also noted that Shuman met with Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Lilian Chatterjee, on January 30, 2020 and according to the attorney, she assured that the renunciation process of Shuman’s Canadian Citizenship was completed.
While Shuman has bluntly refused to show proof of renunciation of his Canadian citizenship, leader of the United Republican Party (URP), Dr. Vishnu Bandhu, provided same, however, this was done after Nomination Day on January 10 last.
As such, GECOM moved to strike his name from his party’s list of candidates, as well as Shuman’s and Leung’s for making false declarations. GECOM said the police would be written on the matter.
