Full statement below.
I have advised the Governor-General that I will not be accepting the appointment to sit as an Opposition Senator. I have requested that the necessary steps be initiated to rescind my appointment.
My decision was made after lengthy discussions with my family and close friends. There is a full appreciation of the broader implications that any furtherance of the now 7-day delay in the resolution of this matter would have on the paramountcy of good governance and the stability of the People’s National Party as an essential institution in that regard.
While I continue to hold firm to my view that there is much introspection needed in the PNP and that there is a need for urgency to adopt a new approach to resolving contentious issues by those at the helm, all concerned comrades can find some comfort in the ideas that “time is a great teacher” and that “maturity comes with experience”.
I remain steadfastly committed to the democratic principles and tenets of good governance essential to national development. My fervent hope is that the problems bedevilling the PNP will be resolved promptly with the wish that the Party will one day return to its former glory.
On the matter of United States citizenship, as other members of the Houses of Parliament can attest, the renunciation of foreign citizenship can be a lengthy process further complicated by COVID-19 protocols. As occurred with a former PNP Senator in 2012, it is common practice that the renunciation process is completed following the appointment to the Senate.
After the announcement that there would have been elections for a new Party Leader, I indicated that I would give the new leader a free hand. I decided at that time not to further pursue renunciation. Despite my deliberately not having taken the oath, I was remiss in not delivering my resignation letter to the Governor-General in keeping with my statement. The matter was brought to my attention on December 3, 2020, and its resolution delayed due to an effort to bring amicable resolve to some of the interpersonal conflicts which continue to exacerbate deep divisions within the war-torn Party. This exercise has endorsed my grandmother’s affirmation that “one han’ caan clap”.
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