Shuman submits proof of Canadian citizenship renunciation

Now that the 12th Parliament has convened, all parliamentarians known to be holding dual citizenship have submitted proof of renunciation of those citizenships. Confirming this on Friday was Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, who disclosed that he is in receipt of relevant documents from Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Lenox Shuman, who was a Canadian citizen.

Isaacs said that Shuman submitted a letter from the Canadian High Commission in Georgetown, confirming that Canada has issued him with a Certificate of Renunciation of Citizenship. Other parliamentarians known to have been dual citizens were Opposition Leader Joseph Harmon and Government and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira. They, however, have both submitted evidence to the National Assembly Clerk that they have renounced their foreign citizenship. Harmon was a citizen of the United States, while Teixeira, like Shuman, was a citizen of Canada.
Article 155 (1) of the Constitution of Guyana makes it clear that Members of Parliament who are dual citizens would be disqualified from sitting in the National Assembly. In fact, it 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.”

The issue of dual citizenship came up after December 21, 2018, when Alliance for Change (AFC) parliamentarian Charrandas Persaud, who is also a citizen of Canada, voted in favour of the Opposition-sponsored No-Confidence Motion which toppled and effectively led to the booting of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) coalition from Government.
The APNU/AFC used Persaud’s dual citizenship as a weapon in its arsenal seeking to overturn the No-Confidence Motion, arguing in vain that Persaud was not qualified to be in the National Assembly, and as such, his vote in favour of the motion was invalid. The Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) later ruled that the No-Confidence Motion was validly passed despite Persaud holding dual citizenship.