Grenada Today - The National Newspaper of Grenada, Carriacou & Petite Martinique

It was a war of words last Friday in Parliament as government and opposition members clashed bitterly on a motion brought to the House of Representatives seeking to ascertain the citizenship of all elected Members of Parliament.

The motion comes against the backdrop of moves by the Keith Mitchell-led New National Party (NNP) government to take legal action against opposition Member of Parliament for the Town of St. George Constituency, Peter David on the grounds that he holds Canadian citizenship.

The Mitchell government is seeking to get defeated Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister, Brenda Hood declared as winner of the seat following her defeat in the November 2003 general elections by David who won on a ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Leader of Government Business, Deputy Prime Minister Gregory Bowen introduced the motion in front of a packed house made up mainly of supporters of both parties. Bowen sought to amend the Motion as circulated to MP’s prior to the sitting.

The motion was vehemently opposed by all Opposition members who asked the government side for additional amendments to the document.

The NDC strongly believes that Section 30 of the Constitution of Grenada should form part of the motion but the Government side rejected it.

The first Opposition member to speak on the issue was Member for St. Andrew South-east, Kenrick Fullerton who expressed his disappointment about the recommended amendments of the opposition being voted down.

Fullerton said he would have supported the motion had it been amended but cannot do so since he regards it as being inadequate.
He told the house that the question of citizenship is now being questioned when the leadership of the country is at its dying stage.

He felt strongly that the only reason the Mitchell Government was trying to get out David from Parliament is because the administration realises that it cannot win the Town of St George.

According to Fullerton, this is the first time in his entire life that he see the opposition of the country being attacked as if was really the ones holding the seat of government.

He questioned why the resolution as put forward by Government makes no mention of the status of those who may have been sitting in Parliament years before as U.S citizens.

This is a clear reference to persons such as Prime Minister Mitchell himself, as well as former Opposition Leader Michael Baptiste, current Foreign Affairs Minister Elvin Nimrod, and ex-government ministers Mark Isaac and Oliver Archibald.

Fullerton urged the Mitchell Government to take a more keen interest in the shambles that the education system is presently in rather than waste time in questioning the citizenship of Opposition M.P’s and trying to take power through the back door.

Opposition MP for the South of St George Constituency, Glynnis Roberts also addressed parliament and stressed that at too much time is being wasted on the issue.

Roberts reminded the House that there is presently a Grenadian citizen, Jean Augustine, eho is a cousin of Prime Minister Mitchell and was sitting in the Canadian Parliament as an elected member.

The intense debate heated up when Opposition Leader, Tillman Thomas, took the floor and accused the ruling party of attempting to provoke a constitutional crisis in the country and of undermining the democratic process.

Thomas was adamant that the matter should be clarified in the court of law and not by parliament.He said if the NNP Administration wanted to have a provision of the Constitution interpreted then the proper forum is the court.

Following more than 10 hours of intense debate, House Speaker, Lawrence Joseph said the issue is an important one, which should be left up to the law.

He took the opportunity to disclose his citizenship status and questioned each individual member of the house about their citizenship.

All members of the Government disclosed that none of them held citizenship of any other country prior to the last elections and thereafter.

However, when the question was posed to Opposition members they responded that they were not prepared to answer the question at this time.

The amended Motion that was passed in Parliament reads as follows:

WHEREAS Section 31 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Grenada provides that no person shall be qualified to be elected as a Member of the House of Representatives if he or she is by virtue of his own act, under any acknowledgement of allegiance, obedience or adherence to a foreign power of state;

AND WHEREAS Section 33 (2) (c) of the said Constitution of Grenada provides that a Member of the House of Representatives shall vacate his or her seat in the House if circumstances arise to show that that Member if he or she were not such a Member would cause him or her to be disqualified to be elected as such by virtue of Section 31 (1) of the said Constitution of Grenada;

AND WHEREAS there are sufficient reasons to believe that the Constitutional provisions for Membership in the House of Representatives may have been contravened;

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the House authorizes the Speaker to make enquiries as to every Member of the House with the exception of those members who voluntary gives this information at this sitting whether any Member on Nomination Day last just prior to the last General Election was the holder of Citizenship other than that of Grenada, or whether after the said Nomination Day any Member acquired Citizenship of a Country or Countries other than that of Grenada;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Speaker, is being requested to report back to the House at its next sitting or the soonest practicable time thereafter, as established by the Speaker if necessary.