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Greenidge Renounces British Citizenship
The Foreign Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, renounced his British Citizenship yesterday. This is according to a statement sent out by the Foreign Secretary.
In a press conference held on October 2, 2019 at the main conference office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Greenidge was asked whether he would relinquish his foreign citizenship given the ruling on dual citizenship and parliamentary membership.
To this he responded that he would give an answer within 48 hours.
The secretary was also asked by the media whether he will be a potential candidate in the upcoming Regional and General Elections in March 2, 2020.
Greenidge further responded that after answering the question with regards to the relinquishment of his citizenship then he will consider answering about his political future.
Forty-eight hours has ended and Greenidge has kept his promise to the media.
In a statement released earlier yesterday, he stated , “In keeping with the undertaking I gave to the Press earlier this week I am in a position today to announce that I have received from the relevant British authorities, confirmation that my application to renounce my British citizenship has been accepted.”
As it relates to his political future Geenidge said, “I have informed President Granger accordingly, and therefore look forward to being included on the list of candidates from which the Party will make its selection of MPs (Members of Parliament) following the holding of the Regional and General Elections in 2020.”
Kaieteur News had reported earlier this week that Greenidge and three other Members of Parliament (MPs) from the coalition Government, A partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) were forced to resign as a result of a ruling by the Court of Appeal back in March 22, 2019.
The other MPs are the Director General of the Ministry of Presidency, former Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin and Rupert Roopnaraine.
It was also reported that a number MPs, from the opposition have also resigned.
The matter of MPs not being fit or qualified because of their dual citizenship to serve in the National Assembly came in the wake of a successful no-confidence motion passed on December 21, 2018.
The no-confidence motion was passed because of a vote made by former MP Charrandass Persaud against his own party, APNU+AFC.
Charrandass was also a Dual Citizen since he has a Canadian citizenship.
His controversial vote was then challenged as being invalid by a private citizen, Compton Reid due to the fact that he is a dual citizen.
Reid’s argument was that if you are a dual citizenship there are implications by law that deems ones parliamentary status as void. In that case, since Persaud is a holder of dual citizenship his vote would not count.
However, the High Court and Court of Appeal both ruled that Charrandass’s vote was valid which made the no confidence motion valid as well.
The courts also ruled that according to the Constitution that if parliamentarians are holding allegiance to foreign states then they are not eligible to be elected to serve in the National Assembly.
Article 155 (1) (a) of the Constitution states, “No person shall be qualified for election as a member of the National Assembly who is, by virtue of his or own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power or state.”
Greenidge has been the first to publicly renounce his foreign Citizenship.
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