Presidential candidate for the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), Lenox Shuman, says his commitment to relinquishing his Canadian citizenship is firm, even though the process may be a lengthy one.
Shuman, who previously served as Toshao of Pakuri Village, located along the Linden/Soesdyke Highway, as well as Vice-chairman of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC), had declared his intention to give up his Canadian citizenship to contest for the presidency.
When asked for an update on the process yesterday, at the party’s first press conference, Shuman said the process is currently being handled by a law firm in Toronto, Canada.
However, he could not say definitively how long the process of relinquishing his Canadian citizenship would take, noting that the decision would be left up to the Canadian Government.
Shuman was also asked about his eligibility to contest the election in the context of his residency in Guyana. In response, Shuman said though he had been employed outside of Guyana, it does not mean he failed to reside here. He went further to explain that his acceptance as Toshao of Pakuri in 2015 had preceded an election, and as a requirement, he would have had to reside in the community for three years prior.
In addition to the three years he lived in the community before the National Toshao Elections, the LJP leader noted that he served three years as Toshao.
“The only way I would not be eligible in that sense would be if they call elections, I would say, by the end of March, which I don’t think that they are going to do right now. If they did that, it would put me one month shy of seven years,” Shuman said.
But even as the process is ongoing, the presidential candidate reiterated that the relinquishing of his Canadian citizenship reaffirms his commitment to Guyana.
“I challenge anyone who questions my patriotism to say that they would have seen the same commitment from both parties,” he said, adding that government and opposition parliamentarians who are dual citizens have not given up their foreign citizenship. “That is a clear violation of the constitution,” he said.
