The importance of the next elections

Mar 27, 2025 Letters

Dear Editor

The upcoming National Elections will be a vote on whether or not democracy and fair elections are important. It will be a vote on whether corruption should be allowed or denied. It will be a vote on who can be trusted with protecting our national sovereignty. Also, it will provide an opportunity to say who we the Guyanese people trust with the development of our country and the management of our resources.

Democracy has been a struggle in our Nation since the splitting of the pre independence PPP into the PPP and PNC, which fell along racial lines. The struggle for democracy and fair elections continued as recently as the last elections, and the courts have been unable, for over four years, to bring back justice and fairness to our electoral process. Our vote in the next elections must send a clear message as to where we the people of Guyana desire our democracy to go.

Corruption and the abuse of power have been extensive since the last elections.

Top officials have been caught and many have been involved in acts of theft, sexual misconduct and law-breaking activities. As the income of our small nation increases so does the level of corruption. Disregard for the law by those in positions in the government has also led to a lack of accountability for actions that could be considered criminal. It has also resulted in more corrupt acts at the lower levels of our socioeconomic system. More importantly, the culture of our country has been changed to one that is more materialistic and where regard for the life of others has been diminished. The examples of sexual violence, theft and the resulting lack of accountability have undermined the values in our society that were once nurtured by our previous leaders and founding fathers.

We must now ask ourselves who can be trusted with the females in our lives? Who can lead the young and vulnerable without taking advantage of them? Is there a price for the honesty and integrity in our society that we are willing to accept? Our beautiful Guyana is much better than this! Our society must remain on a solid foundation in order for our nation’s sons and daughters to be the best that they can be.

Our nation’s sovereignty has never before been more threatened than it is today. Diplomatic ties continue with our adversaries and military threats continue to amplify. Where there is an opportunity to show strength, we have seen hesitation and preference for dialogue. Dialogue that has been ignored by our adversaries. Dialogue that has brought no results. What we have seen instead has been the taking of definitive action by the enemy, which has left our nation more vulnerable to occupation and the loss of territory and resources. Our vote in the upcoming elections must also send a clear message as to where we stand as a nation on the protection of our sovereignty and the integrity of our borders.

It must send a clear message as to where we stand on the Venezuelan migrant crisis, the military buildup at our borders and the increased vulnerability our nation will suffer as a result of a bridge with Suriname. There is still time for our leaders to take a stronger position on these issues so as to allow us to cast a vote of confidence in the handling of the border issues with both Venezuela and Suriname.

Our national resources and the development of our nation have suffered from severe mismanagement and what could be considered acts of treason. There has been no Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Exxon PSA signing and there has been no referendum on the renegotiation of the Exxon contract. The early morning meeting between the President and the contractors was testament to how poorly managed the development process has been. The waste and overage is becoming more obvious each day, resulting in the continual loss of funds and resources. The management of the natural resource fund has been controversial and disastrous. This has prevented the continual disbursement of cash grants to our citizens.

What should have been easily given and made sustainable has instead been traded for a process that aggressively depletes the fund and funnels its resources into wasteful and poorly executed projects. Our vote in the next elections must consider these multiple factors and their importance in the future of our nation. The parties running for office have both strengths and weaknesses. The choice comes down to what is more important to you and the future of your family. Who do you trust to do what is best in the long-term interest of our country and our citizens? What are you willing to sacrifice should not be an option, but reality may say otherwise. We must as a people hold our elected officials accountable for what they have done wrong. When there is no guaranteed path to victory and to parliament, all participants must improve to earn the respect of the electorate. The will of the people of Guyana is paramount! Our vote is where we the people of Guyana keep the power to hold our elected officials accountable.

Sincerely,

Mr. Jamil Changlee