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FM
Former Member

Clerk of National Assembly wants proof MPs have renounced foreign citizenship

, Source - News Room - https://newsroom.gy/2020/09/01...foreign-citizenship/

https://newsroom.gy/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/MPs-750x430.jpgJoseph Harmon, Gail Teixeira and Lenox Shuman

Ahead of the convening of the 12th Parliament on Tuesday, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs has written to Members of Parliament (MPs) asking them to submit proof that they have relinquished any foreign citizenship they previously held.

In the letter dispatched on Monday, the Clerk reminded MPs that Article 155 (1) of the constitution 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 acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”

In 2019, during the life of the 11th Parliament, Guyana’s Court of Appeal had ruled conclusively on this matter in which it stated that a person who holds dual citizenship is not eligible to sit as an MP in the House.

https://newsroom.gy/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Sherlock-Issacs-1024x576.jpgClerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs

The Clerk in his letter reminded of this ruling and in the face of several of those MPs who had previously held dual citizenship returning to the 12th Parliament he has asked for proof that they have given up their foreign citizenship.

“I am therefore asking those members who held allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state during the 11th Parliament and have relinquished the same, to submit proof of relinquishment to me,” the letter read.

The returning MPs who were identified to have dual citizenship and committed to renouncing it are incoming Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and Minister of Governance and Parliamentary Affairs Gail Teixeira. They were both forced to resign from Parliament in 2019 following the Court of Appeal ruling.

New MP Lenox Shuman also relinquished his foreign citizenship to contest the 2020 elections after he was initially barred by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) from heading the list for the Liberty and Justice Party which he formed.

He had since provided proof to GECOM of his relinquishment but will now be required to submit same to the Clerk of the National Assembly.

Mr Isaacs took effort in his letter to remind all MPs to ensure that they do not hold dual citizenship and are in conformity with article 155 (1) (a) of the Constitution.

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While I support dual citizens being MPs in Guyana until the law changes to accommodate it there should be no dual citizens sitting in Parliament. They should be required to prove they are not. The lawlessness of the past has to stop and now is as good a time as any.

FM

Thats not a problem, in Guyana anything is available for the right price...Just go to Charlotte and king street dem boys would make the proof they looking for more authentic than ifart doctor certificate..

sachin_05
@sachin_05 posted:

Thats not a problem, in Guyana anything is available for the right price...Just go to Charlotte and king street dem boys would make the proof they looking for more authentic than ifart doctor certificate..

Well if anyone is able to pull off a bigger scam than Irfaan's doctor certificate they deserve whatever price they ask.

What is it with Guyanese? If there are 1000 people who help in an election they all feel they should be made one of the 20+ ministers. If they don't get picked, they all become bitter. My opinion is that they should be bitter at themselves for believing that because they help they should all be rewarded. What happened to doing what one does without expecting soup in return. This is the kind of sickness that keeps infecting the society.

FM

Its a Guyanese disease to feel if some volunteer for something, there should be payback. Even freely building their community with foreign resources, they want payment to improve their OWN community. 

Volunteers in other countries don't ask for this payment, only in Guyana and for this reason they will continue to be on their own : Selfish.   

Tola
@Tola posted:

Its a Guyanese disease to feel if some volunteer for something, there should be payback. Even freely building their community with foreign resources, they want payment to improve their OWN community. 

Volunteers in other countries don't ask for this payment, only in Guyana and for this reason they will continue to be on their own : Selfish.   

In places like the US and Canada, doctors would give up their lucrative salaries to volunteer in a sickness ridden part of the world. Guyanese feel that as long as they say they support  the party in an election they should be given a minister position and if not they become bitter.

FM
@Former Member posted:

In places like the US and Canada, doctors would give up their lucrative salaries to volunteer in a sickness ridden part of the world. Guyanese feel that as long as they say they support  the party in an election they should be given a minister position and if not they become bitter.

There seems to be an expectation for some Guyanese when they volunteer, there should be a form of payment in return. But they fail to understand that volunteering is giving something freely. A lot of people volunteer, empower the host and don't expect anything in return.   

Tola
@Tola posted:

There seems to be an expectation for some Guyanese when they volunteer, there should be a form of payment in return. But they fail to understand that volunteering is giving something freely. A lot of people volunteer, empower the host and don't expect anything in return.   

"A kind word is better than charity with insults".

For one reason or the other we all make choices which appeal to us. More than any other undertaking, it is really foolish to expect anything substantial from an election campaign because it takes mad numbers to win an election. Way more numbers than are ever needs to run the government. People who do it expecting substantial rewards need to make those clarifications beforehand or they can end up being very bitter afterwards.

But volunteer means what it says. The only reward one should look forward to is the knowledge that they effort benefited the people they sought to help.

FM

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