Recently sworn in Member of Parliament for the coalition government, Barbara Pilgrim, has dispatched a letter from her Attorneys to the Guyana Times, demanding a retraction and apology from the newspaper for its Sunday report which sought to indicate that she is the holder of dual citizenship.

Speaking to News Source this afternoon from Berbice, Ms. Pilgrim said the Guyana Times article is “totally misleading and false and aims to discredit me as a Member of Parliament with the current situation and issues before the Court.”

Asked by News Source if she holds citizenship for any country other than Guyana, the Member of Parliament was clear in her response, and stated that “I am a born Guyanese citizen and the holder of a Guyana passport. I have never been a citizen of any other country and have never held a passport of any other country.”

Ms. Pilgrim said the article in the Guyana Times has embarrassed her and she wants a full apology even as her Attorneys contemplate legal proceedings against the privately owned newspaper.

“They never contacted me. No one contacted me for anything from the newspaper, but they are quoting unnamed sources. They never made contact to find out anything from me and I need a full apology, a full retraction and a full correction”, she demanded.

Ms. Pilgrim provided her Guyana passport number to News Source and said that while she did live legally in the United States for a period, she never applied for and was therefore never granted any American citizenship, as the Guyana Times article implied.

The Guyana Times is owned by a close friend of the Opposition Leader.

Pilgrim was sworn in as a Member of Parliament last Thursday, replacing Charrandass Persaud, who was recalled by the coalition following his no-confidence vote.

Just last Friday, a matter was filed in the High Court, challenging the no confidence motion and vote because of the Canadian Citizenship of former Government MP, Charrandass Persaud, who voted along with the opposition to move the no confidence motion against the Government.

Guyana’s constitution prohibits anyone who has pledged allegiance to another state from serving as a Member of Parliament.

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