Lenox Shuman

Guyanese politician (born 1973)

The Honourable Lenox Shuman


Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana
In office 2 September 2020 – 31 March 2023
Member of the National Assembly
In office 2 September 2020 – 31 March 2023

Personal details
Born	13 September 1973 (1973-09-13) (age 50) St. Cuthbert's Mission, Guyana

Lenox Ron O'Dell Shuman^[1] (born 13 September 1973)^[2] is a Guyanese politician who served as Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Guyana and Member of Parliament from 2 September 2020 to 31 March 2023. He is also the founder and leader of the Liberty and Justice Party.^[3]

On 2 September 2020, Shuman became the first Indigenous-Guyanese to become Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.^[4]

Background

Shuman was born on 13 September 1973. His mother was of mixed race, and his father descended from a long line of Lokono chiefs.^[5] In 1990, the family emigrated to Canada. He graduated from Confederation College in business and obtained a pilot licence.^[2] Before entering the world of politics, Shuman was a Canadian citizen working as a pilot for Sunwing Airlines.^[6] In 2009, he married Amanda Van Herten.^[2]

In 2009,^[2] Shuman returned to Guyana, and was elected toshao (village chief) for St. Cuthbert's Mission in 2015.^[4]^[2] The same year,^[2] he was elected vice-chairman of the National Toshaos Council.^[4] In 2019, the courts ruled that members of the National Assembly had to have Guyanese citizenship only,^[7] therefore Shuman relinquished his Canadian citizenship, to form the Liberty and Justice Party and run for president in the March 2020 Guyanese general election.^[6]

References

^ "General Election National Top-Up Declaration of Results" (PDF). The Official Gazette of Guyana: 1506–1509. 20 August 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Guyana: Lenox Shuman of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) for Parliament". Guyanese Online. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^ "Vice President of National Toshaos Council to run for President in 2020". iNewsGuyana. 19 June 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Manzoor Nadir elected Speaker of 12th Parliament". Department of Public Information. Retrieved 26 November 2021.
^ "First indigenous Deputy Speaker elected in Guyana". New York Carib News -. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Shuman submits proof he is no longer Canadian citizen - Clerk". Stabroek News. 4 September 2020. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
^ "Key foreign posts announced". Guyana Chronicle. Retrieved 26 November 2021.