TNM Leader & Deputy Speaker, Dr Asha Kissoon, joins PPP/C

-cites APNU/AFC refusal to support sovereignty motion as the last straw

The New Movement (TNM) and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Asha Kissoon, has become the latest political figure to throw her support behind the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government’s re-election efforts for the upcoming September 1 polls. In a statement she released on Saturday, Dr Kissoon laid out Guyana’s development since the PPP/C returned to office in 2020, also hailing President Dr Irfaan Ali’s leadership on critical matters such as the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy.

“I am proud to join the PPP/C because they have not only promised progress—they have delivered it. The commitments made in their 2020 manifesto have been substantially fulfilled. From job creation and infrastructure expansion to health care improvements and youth development, the PPP/C Government has honoured the promises it made to the people.”
“Moreover, President Ali’s response to the Venezuela border controversy has demonstrated the kind of statesmanship and steady leadership this moment demands. But during the most recent sitting of the National Assembly, I was appalled and deeply disturbed by the Opposition’s lack of unity at such a pivotal time. When Guyana needed one voice in defence of its sovereignty, the Opposition chose silence, partisanship, and division,” Dr Kissoon said.
This comes with reference to the Opposition’s recent refusal to support a landmark motion reaffirming Guyana’s sovereignty over the Essequibo region, with calls of their walkout from the National Assembly as “shameful” and “unpatriotic.”

The motion, tabled by Foreign Affairs Minister Hugh Todd, sought to reaffirm Guyana’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and support for the ongoing case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), while condemning Venezuela’s planned “elections” in the Essequibo and its defiance of binding ICJ orders.
However, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and members of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition walked out of the debate, refusing to support the motion, which they claimed lacked enforceability.
According to Dr Kissoon, it was at that moment that she decided to remove herself from her alliance with the Opposition, since at a time of a national challenge they refused to put Guyana first.
“That moment made it impossible for me to remain aligned with those who, in the face of a national challenge refuse to put Guyana first. In good conscience, I cannot stand with an Opposition that continuously chooses political expediency over patriotism and progress,” Dr Kissoon said.
“The track record of the APNU+AFC Coalition speaks for itself—marked by electoral misconduct, a blatant attempt to rig the 2020 elections, and a legacy of siphoned public funds, broken promises, and failed leadership. Their time in office was defined by chaos and neglect—not service or achievement.”
According to Dr Kissoon, “leadership must be purposeful, people-centred, and rooted in accountability”. She further noted that the PPP/C’s priorities align with her own and that they have delivered on much of the things she campaigned for as leader of the TNM. “This is not merely a political choice—it is a principled one. I stand with the PPP/C because I believe in a Guyana that rises together, where no one is left behind, and where promises are not just made—they are kept,” she further explained.
Her endorsement adds political momentum to the PPP/C’s campaign ahead of the September 1 elections, and signals a potential realignment among smaller parties, particularly those with strong Indigenous constituencies.
On Wednesday last, Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, himself a former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and former Vice Chairman of the National Toshao’s Council (NTC), had formally declared his party’s endorsement and support for the ruling PPP/C and President Ali.
Citing what he described as APNU+AFC’s refusal to support Indigenous advancement, highlighted by an official’s refusal to issue land titles—Shuman had argued that the PPP/C had demonstrated real commitment to Indigenous development since regaining office in 2020.
His endorsement has been accompanied by those of other significant figures like former Central Executive Member of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Dr Richard Van-West Charles, son-in-law of the late and former President Forbes Burnham; and current APNU appointed Region Four Chairman Daniel Seeram.