In Guyanese politics, where two parties have been the dominant forces for decades, opportunities for third-party movements to become viable forces has always been challenging. The 2020 General and Regional Elections offered yet another opportunity for smaller parties to gain parliamentary representation through a tripartite joinder. There was a simple agreement between the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), The New Movement (TNM), and A New and United Guyana (ANUG). The single parliamentary seat they secured as a collective would be shared among them, with each party’s tenure proportionally allocated based on the votes it contributed to the overall total.
The tripartite joinder was an innovative political arrangement that would have allowed fair representation in Parliament for three separate but like-minded small parties. The agreement allowed for Lenox Shuman of LJP to serve first for a period of two years and five months, followed by Dr. Asha Kissoon of TNM. The plan was that a representative from ANUG would take over and complete the term. Shuman honored his commitment and stepped aside when his time was up. But when it came time for Dr. Kissoon to do the same, she refused. To add insult to injury, TNM secured the least number of votes among the three small parties and was, therefore, only meant to occupy the seat for 80 days.
When pressed about her decision to remain, Dr. Kissoon’s only public defense was that her appointment was legal and constitutional. She pointed to statements to that effect by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). There appears to be no legal mechanism to force her removal. The question now is not whether Kissoon has the legal right to remain in Parliament, but rather—SHE NUH GAT SHAME?
Honouring the sanctity of an agreement is a fundamental principle of politics, business, law, and everyday life. The seat-sharing agreement by the tripartite joinder could have proven the mettle of this partnership, because it would have been enforced, not by law, but by integrity. And Dr. Kissoon has shown just how much of that integrity she has.
Kissoon’s recent budget address in Parliament revealed her strategy for handling criticism: deflection.
“I must say the opposition has really made me feel welcome,” Dr. Kissoon told the House sarcastically during her January 30 address. “This house is witnessing the case of pot telling the kettle that its bottom is black. These are the same colleagues who squatted in government for five months…”
She pointed fingers at the main opposition parties, APNU and AFC, for their well-documented attempt to cling to power after the 2020 elections, holding the country hostage for five months. While her condemnation of APNU-AFC’s undemocratic actions is justified, it does nothing to explain or excuse her own.
If Dr. Kissoon had made a compelling case for why she was refusing to vacate the seat, offering a legitimate reason beyond the legality of her appointment, then perhaps there would be room for debate. It’s not as if she proffered a legislative agenda that required her to usurp the lawmaker’s chair that is now rightfully ANUG’s. Her betrayal has served no purpose, except to satisfy the major parties that the efforts of a new political movement to effect change have been stopped in their tracks. Instead, she has chosen to focus on the hypocrisy of the main opposition while failing to address her own dishonourable conduct. Her argument about the opposition’s hypocrisy is not a defense; it is a smokescreen, a distraction.
It is also emblematic of the same tired rhetoric of members of the main political forces of the PPP and PNC when they fight each other: ‘You can’t criticize me because you have done worse!’
Dr. Kissoon is actively contributing to the culture of political cynicism that has long plagued Guyana. This culture gained fodder during the budget debates, which were saturated by political mudslinging, taking precious time away from what needed to be discussed—the US$1.382 trillion budget.
But one of the most baffling aspects of Dr. Kissoon’s brazenness is that she wears it while having no apparent political allies to speak of. There is no public support for her stance. Even members of the press have condemned her. No one is advocating for her to stay in Parliament.
This raises an important question: What is Dr. Kissoon’s endgame? TNM, the party that propelled her into Parliament, is defunct. ANUG soundly and repeatedly condemns her betrayal. She is not affiliated with any political movement. If she has political aspirations beyond November 2025, where does she see herself fitting in? What party would accept a politician who has demonstrated that she is willing to break agreements to suit a selfish purpose?
Her actions have not only isolated her from the opportunity for political allyship. They have also done lasting damage to the credibility of third-party politics in Guyana.
The dominance of two large parties has for too long left voters with few alternatives. The emergence of the AFC in the early 2000s was a moment of promise for third-party politics. The AFC initially positioned itself as a genuine alternative to the entrenched power structures of the PPP and PNC. But that promise was ultimately squandered when the AFC joined forces with APNU to form the APNU-AFC coalition. It was not merely the act of coalescing that destroyed the promise of the AFC, but their subsequent actions—including their role in the attempted rigging of the 2020 elections—that destroyed their credibility. After being booted out of government, the AFC broke up with the APNU.
In 2023, the AFC chose not to participate in the Local Government Elections, missing an opportunity to prove it still had public support. Some would say the AFC suspected its showing in those elections would have hurt its chances of staying politically relevant. It is now floating the idea of reuniting with APNU for the 2025 elections, while claiming that it can stand strong on its own feet as a contestant in the upcoming November vote.
The tripartite joinder had a chance to demonstrate that smaller parties could work together in good faith, providing a real alternative to the PPP and PNC/APNU/AFC. Dr. Kissoon’s behaviour continues the AFC’s streak of betrayal of third-party supporters. Her refusal to vacate her seat is a setback for everyone who hoped that third-party politics could bring real change. She has made it harder for any independent political movement to earn the trust of the Guyanese people. And for that, history will not judge her kindly.
