What Guyanese leaders can learn from Donald Trump

Feb 07, 2025 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Peeping Tom…

Kaieteur News-There is little dispute that Donald Trump knows how to make an entrance. He does so without pretense, without the usual trappings of a honeymoon period or the equivocating niceties that accompany the ascent of most leaders.

From the very first day, he did what he said he would do, issued executive orders with a strong hand. He did not waste time. He immediately began by bulldozing his way. It is this kind of audacity that, for better or worse, marks his tenure and cements his place in the political consciousness – false or real – of his ardent supporters.

Say what you will about the man, and indeed, many have said a great deal, but he exemplifies a certain decisiveness that many leaders, particularly those in Guyana, would do well to study. His willingness to make hard decisions, his utter disregard for bureaucratic inertia, and his ability to act with a singularity of purpose—these are qualities that, if applied judiciously, could serve Guyanese governance well.

Guyanese politics is often defined by an inertia and early cautiousness. Our newly-elected leaders in Guyana waste precious months, if not years, before they begin making serious changes. The assumption seems to be that there one has to be careful in the early months of a new government of not upsetting Opposition constituencies or making dramatic and draconian changes.

But what Trump has demonstrated, with an almost reckless clarity, is that political capital is at its highest in those first few moments of leadership. The ability to shape the narrative, to seize the momentum, and to dictate the pace of governance—these are tools available only to those who understand that leadership is a performance as much as it is a responsibility. Guyanese leaders, by contrast, have a perennial fear of ruffling too many feathers too soon. They are reluctant to offend the entrenched bureaucracies that have for decades dictated the rhythm of government. Yet, as Trump showed, the most effective leaders recognize that their first moves set the tone for everything that follows. The lesson here is not to embrace recklessness, but to understand the value of immediacy.

What we need in Guyana are elected leaders who, when they enter office, act boldly to reform the oil sector, streamline government inefficiencies, and hold public officials accountable—not through mere rhetoric, but through immediate action. Such leaders would not only command attention but also establish the kind of authority that keeps political opponents and bureaucratic inertia at bay.

Trump knows how to make an entrance. But making an entrance is one thing. Following through with conviction is another. Trump, for all his polarising decisions, never shies away from making choices early that would define his administration. The wisdom of those choices is debatable. But his willingness to act decisively is never in question. He does not hesitate to make the hard choices, however contentious, controversial or confrontational. He is not seeking popularity. He is pushing his plans.

In Guyana, the great affliction of leadership has been the unwillingness to make tough decisions. Too often, hard choices are deferred, postponed indefinitely for fear of losing public support. The result is a cycle of half-measures and unfinished policies. Whether it is the issue of vendors, squatting, crime or corruption, Guyanese leaders have, more often than not, chosen the path of least resistance.

Contrast this with Trump’s approach. There is no endless pontificating, no drawn-out committee hearings aimed at ensuring that every single stakeholder was appeased. He understands that leadership, at its core, is about making choices—even unpopular ones.

A Guyanese leader with the same willingness to act decisively would do well to recognize that real governance means confronting those that stagnate progress. It means being unafraid to tackle the difficult questions—questions about who benefits from the country’s vast resources and who bears the brunt of its mismanagement.

The third, and perhaps most crucial, lesson Guyanese leaders can learn from Trump is the necessity of cutting through the bureaucratic morass that strangles effective governance. Trump understands that the public service, in its vast, lumbering inefficiency, is more of an obstacle than a facilitator of progress. However misguided are his policies, his approach is nevertheless instructive in its attempt to reorient government spending and reallocate resources in ways he deems beneficial.

Guyanese leaders, by contrast, have long been beholden to a system of public administration that is bloated, inefficient, and often resistant to change. The machinery of government is riddled with redundancies, sinecure appointments and political patronage. Yet every administration, regardless of party, finds itself entangled in its mechanisms, unable or unwilling to wield the axe where it is needed.

The problem is not merely one of inefficiency but of misplaced priorities. Public finances, instead of being directed towards meaningful development, are often squandered on maintaining this bloated bureaucracy which costs taxpayers more than 1.5 billion dollars per day. There is not anywhere near value for that money in the delivery of public services.

If Guyanese leaders were to take a page from Trump’s playbook, they would recognize that streamlining government, cutting unnecessary expenditures, and ensuring that resources are directed towards tangible national development are not just options—they are imperatives.  Donald Trump’s administration is not a model of perfect governance. His tenure is marked by controversy, unpredictability, and a level of political volatility that often overshadows his substantive policy decisions. But to dismiss him entirely is to ignore the valuable lessons embedded within his leadership style.

Guyanese leaders must understand that leadership is not a passive exercise. It requires decisiveness, making a strong entrance, executing hard decisions, and dismantling bureaucratic inefficiencies.  The question, then, is whether Guyanese leaders have the courage to take the hard decisions that leadership demands. The answer to that question will determine the trajectory of Guyana’s future far more than any single policy or manifesto ever could.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

(What Guyanese leaders can learn from Donald Trump)

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• ardent supporters, Donald Trump, Executive Orders, honeymoon period, Peeping Tom

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