…TNM leader vows to be agent of change
Dr Asha Kissoon, leader of smaller party The New Movement (TNM), has officially taken her seat in the National Assembly to replace former Deputy Speaker Lenox Shuman as part of the agreement the joinder parties made to rotate their one seat.
At the start of the 63rd sitting of the National Assembly, Dr Kissoon was sworn in to replace Shuman, who leads the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP). Shuman resigned from the National Assembly last month and accordingly, TNM wrote the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) requesting Dr Kissoon’s name be extracted from the list of candidates.
TNM Leader and new MP, Dr Asha Kissoon
The process for replacing an MP involves the National Assembly writing to the head of the party list to whom the seat belongs, once its occupant has submitted a formal resignation. The head of the list is tasked with informing GECOM which party candidate name to extract and submit to the National Assembly.
It is a process that was followed last year when former A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) MPs Joseph Harmon and Nicolette Henry were replaced by current Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and Volda Lawrence.
Dr Kissoon, who was declared an MP effective from April 1, 2023, but had to wait until Monday’s sitting to take her oath of office, will serve in the National Assembly for 80 days in accordance with the agreement between her party, LJP and A New and United Guyana (ANUG). After being welcomed by both sides of the house, Dr Kissoon vowed to be an agent of change in politics.
“I do give my word and my dedication that I will represent my office with much dignity and honour going forward. I’d like to give a reminder to the persons at home and who are here present that with all the international uncertainty going on, Guyana needs to lead by example on an international scale.”
“And I urge our leaders, myself included, that we put the people of Guyana first. We must remember that even though we say we are one Guyana, one people, we need to value and appreciate our unity and our diversity. Appreciate the different ethnic groups in Guyana, as we go forward. I not only aim to enforce change, but much improvement where it’s needed,” Dr Kissoon further said.
The three joinder parties collectively won a single seat in the 65-seat National Assembly following the 2020 General and Regional Elections. LJP secured the most votes with 2657, while ANUG and TNM secured 2313 and 244, respectively.
The duration of the terms, according to the joinder agreement, had stipulated that LJP, in the form of Shuman, would occupy the seat for two years, six months, and 20 days, while ANUG would serve for two years five months, and TNM for 80 days. The three parties had previously committed to acting as a broker between the Government and the main Opposition. (G3)
