…as govt dual citizen MPs resign
The Chief Justice, in the case of Compton Reid v. Speaker of the National Assembly et al, declared, on January 31, 2019, that it was unconstitutional for a person holding dual citizenship to be elected as a Member of Parliament. This ruling was affirmed by a majority decision of the Court of Appeal on March 22, 2019.
In light of that ruling government dual citizen Members of Parliament, Carl Greenidge, Minister of For-eign Affairs;
Dominic Gaskin, Minister of Business; Joseph Harmon, Minister of State in the
Ministry of the Presidency and Rupert Roopnaraine, Minister of the Public Service in the Ministry of the Presiden-cy all tendered their resignations with took effect on April 25, 2019.
President David Granger, in an address to the nation, said the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana is the country’s supreme law and adherence to the Constitution is an essential element of demo
cratic governance and the maintenance of public trust.
“I have a duty to ensure that the Government acts in accordance with the Constitution at all times. I have, in accordance with the Courts’ rulings, accepted the resignations of Mr. Carl Greenidge, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Mr. Dominic Gaskin, Minister of Business; Mr Joseph Harmon, Minister of State in the Ministry of the Presidency and Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, Minister of the Public Service in the Minis-try of the Presidency.
These resignations take effect on 25th April 2019. I thank these Ministers for their stewardship as members of my
Cabinet and of the National Assembly since May 2015.
Their ster-ling public service has been to our nation’s benefit,” he said.
The resignations of these Ministers have created vacancies in the Cabinet and the National Assembly. It is necessary, in the circumstances, for their ministerial responsibilities to be reassigned and for the transfer of some junior ministers.
“I now announce the following appointments: Mr Hemraj Ramkumar, as Minister of Business; Mrs Dawn Hastings-Williams as Minister of State in the
Ministry of the Presidency; and Mrs Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, as Minister of the Public Service in the Ministry of the
Presidency,” the President said.
It was also announced that Minister Annette Ferguson will now serve at Minister in the Ministry of Communities, with responsibility for Housing; Simona Charles-Broomes as Minister in the Ministry of the Presidency with responsibility for Youth Affairs; and Mrs Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, as Minister in the Ministry of Agriculture with responsibility for rural affairs.
