Latest update April 7th, 2026 12:30 AM
Guyana: A political cauldron of intense emotions
By Leonard Gildarie
At the time of writing, the Parliamentary Opposition – the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) – was preparing to choose a Presidential candidate and a new political party, A New and United Guyana (ANUG), that has as its leaders, attorney-at-law Ralph Ramkarran and Dr. Henry Jeffrey, was launched on Friday. That party wants to share governance in some form.
Ramkarran was a former top executive of the PPP and Jeffrey a minister too.
Recently also, the Liberty and Justice Party, headed by Lennox Shuman, an Amerindian, was announced.
It is a crazy time in politics now. Guyana is in uncharted waters, with the Constitution under the microscope…at least the part which concerns Government and the functioning of Parliament.
Our country is a political cauldron of intense emotions…potentially explosive.
We have to ask who is looking out for her. Where are the cool heads and patriots?
We have several things that are happening and to understand them, they must be placed into perspective.
On the international stage, we have Venezuela to deal with, involving the border controversy. That matter itself is with the International Court of Justice, in the Hague, where Guyana is asking the United Nations court to rule once and for all on a simmering border matter with that neighbouring country.
Recently, Venezuela’s gunships stopped two seismic vessels that were exploring for ExxonMobil, insisting that the ships were in their waters. Guyana and ExxonMobil have denied this was so.
Venezuela is mapping its natural resources, and more than likely will include Guyana’s offshore oil fields in that information. It is nothing new.
Locally, we seem to have come out of the woods with bauxite, with a relaxation of US sanctions on Rusal, which has an operation in Upper Berbice, Region 10.
On the agricultural scene, there are at least 7,000 workers who lost their jobs because of a sugar industry that was going nowhere and bleeding the country.
In a few months, we will be pumping oil from finds that are world class, and one of the biggest in recent years. If managed properly, our future is secured.
Leonard Gildarie
On the political side, the situation could not be worse.
A no-confidence vote almost four weeks ago by then government parliamentarian, Charrandass Persaud, has fueled a situation which will make neither side of the divide happy. It could trigger early elections if the court rules that the vote is valid.
On the other hand, if it is not, it is predicted that Guyana will find itself in a very tense situation when it comes to governing. It is how it is.
We all have to accept that Guyana votes race. The figures say so. Neither side can command a majority. The last two elections say so. Nothing much has changed since then.
A coalition is likely again, unless we want to stare down the barrel of another minority government in any elections that will be held.
In all of this, one has got to wonder where Guyana is standing.
In a few days’ time, more than 400 persons will be coming here for a major forum on land desertification. These are money spinners. Transportation, hotels, food and planes will be needed. Taxes and other areas will also benefit. We have to prove to the world that we are capable of hosting these events. It is a growing market for us. We have the headquarters of CARICOM here.
We cannot send a message that we are vulnerable. We must put up a united face.
The recent joint statement by Government and the Opposition, coming out of the meeting between President David Granger and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, spoke of a united stance on protection of Guyana’s borders.
However, that is clearly absent from the stance on a better deal for oil or ideas to fix sugar and the many ills facing us.
It is time that we understand that the old way of politics can no longer work. I have said it before, and will say it again. The demographics of voters are changing. The swing votes will make the difference.
However, that all pertains to what transpires at elections.
We are facing real prospects now of heavy campaigning in the next few months, a period of disruption that is necessary to democracy, but a distraction to progress.
Whether the elections happen this year or next, based on the prognosis, we have to start looking at models of shared governance, meaningful dialogue between political parties, and definitely, reforms to our Constitution.
We have so much at stake here, it pains to think that we want to walk the same road again.
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