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Georgetown, Guyana – The Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, stated on Monday that he has not seen any letter from the representative of The New Movement (TNM) to recall Dr. Asha Kissoon from her seat in the National Assembly. This announcement comes amidst growing controversy and public criticism following former Speaker Ralph Ramkarran’s harsh comments about Dr. Kissoon’s refusal to relinquish her parliamentary seat as per the agreement between the coalition parties.
The representative of the list for TNM, Dr. Gerald Forde, claimed that he had written to the Speaker of the National Assembly back in March, expressing the parties’ loss of confidence in Dr. Kissoon and requesting her recall. However, Speaker Manzoor Nadir has neither confirmed nor denied receiving the letter, choosing to remain silent on the issue. The situation has been further complicated by the Guyana Elections Commission’s (GECOM) stance that they cannot remove Dr. Kissoon unless the Speaker declares a vacancy.
This dispute traces back to the 2020 General and Regional Elections when TNM, ANUG, and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) joined forces to secure a seat in the National Assembly. While the rotation of representation was agreed upon, Dr. Kissoon has not stepped down after her allotted period, leading to accusations of illicit retention of the seat. GECOM’s lack of decisive action and the government’s apparent protection of Dr. Kissoon have intensified the controversy, prompting calls for adherence to democratic processes and transparency.
