APNU/AFC moves to High Court over appointments of two more Govt MPs

Opposition Chief Whip Christopher Jones for the second time in two months, has moved to the High Court challenging the appointments of  Member of Parliaments (MPs) on the Government side.

In a new case, Jones has taken issue with the appointment of Sarah Brown as Parliamentary Secretary to the Amerindian Affairs Ministry and as MP. He also has an issue with the appointment of Vikash Ramkissoon as Parliamentary Secretary to the Agriculture Ministry and as MP.

According to Jones, Brown and Ramkissoon were both named on the List of Candidates presented by the PPP/C for the March 02, 2020 General and Regional Elections. Notwithstanding this, Jones argues that they were still sworn in as non-elected members of the National Assembly on September 15, 2020, in violation of the Constitution of Guyana.

As such, the Opposition MP is seeking a declaration that Brown and Ramkissoon are not legal members of the National Assembly. He is also asking the court to declare that they were not validly appointed as Parliamentary Secretaries.

Apart from Brown and Ramkissoon, Jones has listed Attorney General Anil Nandlall and Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir, as Respondents. Moreover, Jones is asking for an Order directed to the House Speaker compelling him to prevent Brown and Ramkissoon from sitting in, and participating in the affairs of the National Assembly.

The Opposition Chief Whip is also praying for such further or other orders the court sees just in the circumstances and court costs.

On December 10, 2020, Chief Justice Roxane George declared the appointment of Oneidge Walrond-Allicock as Minister of Tourism, Industry, and Commerce and MP unlawful after the Attorney General conceded that they were done in breach of the Constitution of Guyana.

Jones, who filed the action, argued that at the time Walrond was sworn in as Government Minister and MP she was still a citizen of the United States of America.

Article 155 of the Constitution bars dual citizens from being elected as members of the National Assembly. Walrond has since retaken the oath of Minister of Government. She will retake the oath as MP at the next sitting of the National Assembly.

The constitutional provision at Article 155 came to light in December 2018, after then AFC MP Charrandass Persaud voted in favour of the PPP-sponsored no confidence motion which resulted in the fall of the David Granger led Administration.

It later became public that Persaud, a Guyanese by birth, was sitting in the National Assembly while he was a citizen of Canada. A ruling by Chief Justice Roxane George on this issue saw the resignation of several Government and Opposition MPs holding dual citizenship.

Some of those MPs have since relinquished their foreign citizenship to continue in various ministerial posts.