“I do hereby solemnly declare that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the people of Guyana.”
Those were the opening words of the Oath taken by Leader of The New Movement (TNM), Dr. Asha Kissoon, on Monday as she was sworn in as the newest Member of Parliament (MP).
She replaces Deputy Speaker and Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) Lennox Shuman who resigned as at March 31, 2023.
MPs from both sides including Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton and Prime Minister Mark Phillips, along with Speaker of the National Assembly, welcomed the MP to the House and committed to working with her for the benefit of the people of Guyana.
Responding to the welcome remarks, the TNM Leader said it was nothing short of a honour to represent her constituency in the National Assembly.
“I give my word and dedicate to serve with dignity,” she said as she called on all MPs to continue to work in unity.
“I urge leaders to put the people of Guyana first… to value and appreciate our diversity,” she added.
Dr. Kissoon is an Opposition MP although not part of the main parliamentary opposition – the APNU+AFC Coalition. Dr. Kissoon said previously that she will accept the Deputy Speaker’s post if current Parliamentarians repose the confidence in her.
The Deputy Speaker’s post is usually held by a member of the parliamentary opposition and on one occasion, it was held by a member of a minority government at the time. It requires a majority vote from among the 65 parliamentarians to secure the top post.
Dr. Kissoon, 33, studied medicine in Cuba, and currently serves as the doctor in charge of the Sophia Health Centre; she entered politics for the March 02, 2020 elections as the presidential candidate for TNM.
The TNM, together with A New and United Guyana (ANUG) and the Liberty and Justice Party (JLP), joined their lists to contest the elections.
The combined votes gained in the elections allowed the three parties to have one seat in the National Assembly. They had agreed that the seat would be rotated so that all three parties would have representation in the five-year term of the Parliament.
