Govt won’t remove dual citizen parliamentarians yet- Harmon
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon.
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon on Friday said government would not be removing its dual citizen parliamentarians yet and they will all be present in the National Assembly at its next sitting on April 11, 2019.
Himself a Guyanese-American, Harmon suggested that government would await the decisions of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) on the no-confidence motion before determining the fate of dual citizens in the House.
“This is a matter which is engaging the courts and at the appropriate time, I can say to you that decisions of members of the government, including me, the decisions will be made in the public interest. Whatever is in the public interest, be assured that we will make those decisions at the appropriate time,” he said.
He said Attorneys-at-Law representing the State would advise government with respect to the state of the parliamentarians who are dual citizens
He also rebuffed accusations by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that government appeared to be abiding by the Guyana Court of Appeal in a piecemeal fashion- recognising the invalidation of the no-confidence motion because it was not passed by an absolute majority of 34 votes but not the unconstitutionality of dual citizens as candidates and parliamentarians.
“I see nothing duplicitous about it,” said Harmon. Harmon reiterated that government would abide by the CCJ’s pronouncement. In addition to Harmon, the other dual citizen parliamentarians are Guyanese-Britons Carl Greenidge, Rupert Roopnaraine and Dominic Gaskin.
The opposition People’s Progressive Party has said it would not be attending sittings of the National Assembly until the CCJ rules. However, two of their parliamentarians- Guyanese-Canadian Gail Teixeira and Guyanese-American Odinga Lumumba would be renouncing their dual citizens. Apparently Adrian Annamayah has not made up his mind as yet.
