Gail Teixeira prepared to renounce Canadian citizenship

…following CJ’s ruling
– ruling has implications for several Govt MPs – Jagdeo

Following Thursday’s landmark court ruling that a dual citizen cannot be a Member of Guyana’s Parliament, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said that People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Chief Whip Gail Teixeira is prepared to renounce her Canadian citizenship.
Jagdeo made the revelation during his weekly press conference on Friday at the

party’s Freedom House, Georgetown.
According to the party’s General Secretary, the National Assembly is clear that a MP having dual citizenship will have implications and as such, he revealed Teixeira’s decision.
“She is prepared to give up her Canadian citizenship, I spoke to members on my

side about it…she said so voluntarily, I know that she has been thinking about it for a while and I didn’t call her to ask her if she

will, I spoke with her and she said that,” Jagdeo revealed.
Further, Jagdeo noted that the APNU/AFC coalition Government presently has several Ministers who also hold dual citizenship, including Minister of State Joseph Harmon and Vice President and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge.
“Harmon now may no longer be a Minister by virtue of the Constitution, he has to resign because of the ruling and the same goes for Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs…this puts us in new territory. I have no doubt that the Government will try to appeal this, and CJ will uphold (the)

ruling…the ruling is clear, you cannot be a dual citizen in the National Assembly…that’s what our Constitutions says,” Jagdeo recognised.
He noted, however, that the PPP/C would be holding an executive meeting where they will discuss a way forward.
Justice George at the High Court on Thursday pronounced on the case filed by Government supporter, Compton Reid over the dual citizenship of former AFC Member of Parliament (MP) Charrandas Persaud, whose vote in support of the Opposition sponsored no-confidence motion on December 21, 2018, saw the

toppling of the coalition Government.
In the case it brought to the Chief Justice,

Government had argued that Persaud’s dual citizenship status invalidated his vote in support of the no-confidence motion that brought the Government down.
This argument also formed part of the opinions presented to Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland in the hopes that he would reverse the ruling – something the speaker ultimately refused to do.
According to the CJ, by swearing allegiance to another state, a dual citizen is not qualified to be elected to serve in the National Assembly. She noted that while

former coalition Member of Parliament, Charrandas Persaud should not have been a sitting parliamentarian because of his dual citizenship, at the time of his vote on the motion, he was a valid MP hence his vote was valid.
Efforts by this publication to make contact with Harmon and Greenidge were unsuccessful.