The ANUG nominee to replace Dr Asha Kissoon in Parliament expressed disappointment yesterday at her failure to resign in accordance with a three-party pact governing the one seat that they control.
Althea King, who was elected on January 8th this year to replace Kissoon as a Member of Parliament, voiced her disappointment at the situation and the impact it has had on her aspirations as a young politician. King told a press conference that she had a close working relationship with Kissoon and expressed disappointment at her failure to relinquish the seat as was promised.
Kissoon, the Leader of The New Movement (TNM), again declined to provide a response as to why she is not relinquishing her seat when contacted by Stabroek News.
“I am sincerely disappointed in the outcome of the situation that has happened. Dr. Kissoon was someone that I supported… we worked together, [and] we have worked abreast in parliamentary activities, parliamentary systems, and anything related to Parliament… She sent emails concerning all the updates every day… Dr. Kissoon… to me was someone that I can confide in, someone who is going to fight for, you know, democracy… I personally was inspired by what she represented…,” King noted.
Regarding what transpired leading up to Kissoon’s refusal to tender her resignation, King said: “We were supposed to have a meeting with the executives together with Kissoon concerning the extension, because… she had pleaded for an extension (of time in Parliament), and this was what I relayed to the executive… that meeting never happened… so the next sitting happened and she… announced then and accepted the Deputy Speaker position”.
King added that A New and United Guyana (ANUG) was prepared to have a resignation letter completed for Kissoon, as her time in the seat had already expired when Parliament went into recess on August 10th. The party decided to wait until Parliament resumed in October before proceeding with the resignation process. November was initially set as the time for the resignation, but due to Kissoon falling sick, an agreement could not be reached.
“When that happened, ANUG was already prepared to have the resignation letter being done and completed on the part of Ms. Kissoon, because her time had been completed since then and the only decision that we made was since Parliament went into recess from the 10th of August, we decided it wouldn’t have made any sense for her to hand in that resignation. So, we allowed the benefit to go until Parliament resumed again… So, in November was supposed to be the actual time of the resignation. It wasn’t as if there was an extension agreed upon… no, we were supposed to come to an agreement [and] we never did because she fell sick… We just made communication by email that… if a copy of that resignation can be sent us on so we can start the process. We waited and we waited and then we were told that the resignation was sent in to the Parliament… We confirmed with Parliament that the resignation was there when we confirmed it in the new year in January. So, coming down to February we were (told) then that that resignation was rescinded,” King said.
Reiterating her disappointment in Kissoon, the young politician further stressed the importance of trust and integrity in politics, expressing her hope that Kissoon would do the right thing moving forward.
“There’s still time to do the right thing. And I really, really hope that the right thing can be done,” she said.
When contacted by this newspaper yesterday to respond to ANUG’s position, Kissoon stopped the Stabroek News reporter mid-inquiry and stated, “I will save you a lot of time. I have no official comments right now”. This is the same response she gave on two previous occasions.
At the press conference, ANUG’s General Secretary, Timothy Jonas addressed the need for transparency and accountability in politics, emphasizing ANUG’s commitment to upholding these principles. He then questioned Kissoon’s motive for refusing to step down.
“This is the 32nd seat, this isn’t the all-important 33rd third seat. With 32 seats the opposition has no say in Parliament. The government has the 33rd seat… And this leads me to ask the question what is it that persuades an intelligent person to expose their true character … when the 32nd seat… doesn’t make sense,” he said.
Jonas also expressed disappointment in Kissoon’s actions and underscored the party’s dedication to providing a new option for Guyanese voters in the upcoming 2025 elections.
During a Q&A session with the press, ANUG members reiterated their commitment to representing the interests of the people. The representatives emphasized that ANUG will not merge with other large parties and will continue to provide a different option for voters in the political landscape of Guyana.
Chairman of ANUG, Kian Jabour emphasized ANUG’s commitment to democracy and ensuring that all citizens are represented in Parliament. He expressed disappointment at the situation with Kissoon’s seat and highlighted the importance of holding all politicians accountable for their actions.
ANUG, TNM and the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) had agreed to their votes being counted collectively to improve their chances at securing seats in the National Assembly. This agreement derived from Section 22 of the Representation of the People Act, under which they agreed to apply for a joinder.
The parties had contested the polls separately but in tabulating votes for the allocation of seats in the National Assembly and on the Regional Democratic Councils, their votes were combined.
According to the Act, two or more lists of candidates shall be joined for the distribution of seats (but not for the purpose of voting) if the representative and deputy representative of each list to be so joined gives notice accordingly in writing to the Chief Election Officer not later than the 25th day before election day. It adds that lists so joined are to be referred to collectively as a combination of lists. This use of the joinder approach was a first-time application since the provision was made in 1963.
The first portion of the term was held by LJP’s Lenox Shuman. He resigned at the end of his designated period to make way for Kissoon. Shuman has since condemned her refusal to resign.
