ANUG blasts TNM’s Asha Kissoon for refusing to give up parliamentary seat

Last Updated on Saturday, 2 March 2024, 14:46 by Denis Chabrol

TNM Leader Dr Asha Kissoon.

A New and United Guyana (ANUG) on Saturday lashed out at Leader of The New Movement (TNM), Dr Asha Kissoon for refusing to give up her parliamentary seat to allow for rotational representation by the three parties that garnered joinder votes garnered in the 2020 general and regional elections.

“She has so far refused to relinquish her seat, and remains an imposter in possession of the seat as a Member of Parliament against the will of the electorate as a result of her breach of trust, and has not committed in writing to ANUG to any timeline whatsoever to demit office.
Her single verbal and informal promise to vacate office on 29th February, 2024, three months late, has now apparently also been breached by Dr. Kissoon,” ANUG said in a statement.

When contacted for a reaction to ANUG’s statement and for a reason why she has refused to resign, she declined to speak on the matter, saying “no comment.” Dr Kissoon also serves as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.

ANUG said the TNM Leader’s apparent refusal to resign was regrettable and has led to the “further undermining the confidence of the Guyanese people in third parties. ANUG reaffirms its commitment to integrity and transparency.”

ANUG on January 8, 2024 publicly introduced Ms King “as our elected representative” to the National Assembly.

Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) leader, Lenox Shuman resigned from the seat and made way for Dr Kissoon whose occupancy should have expired in November 2023 to allow for ANUG’s Althia King to become a parliamentarian in keeping with a memorandum of understanding.

Ms Althia King of ANUG.

ANUG said that TNM, with 244 votes,  was entitled to occupy the seat for 91 days, and was allowed to occupy the seat immediately after Mr Shuman to avoid that party from being shut out of the National Assembly if an early election was called in 2025. =

According to ANUG, single verbal and informal promise to vacate office on 29th February, 2024 has also apparently also been breached by Dr. Kissoon.

The three parties inked an accord on March 2, 2020 to merge their votes and share occupation of their seat in proportion to the votes earned by each. The result of the election was that LJP and ANUG, each with more than 2200 votes, would occupy the single seat won by the merger for the majority of the time,