On the campaign trail

Aug 04, 2025 Editorial, News

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Kaieteur News – As Guyana prepares for yet another election, what should be a moment of civic renewal and national dialogue has instead devolved once again into a tiresome spectacle of empty rhetoric, personal attacks, and recycled promises.

The campaign trail is riddled not with transformative ideas but with familiar invectives and political “cuss downs,” as if public office were the prize in a shouting match rather than a platform for change. Since this country attained political independence in May 1966, successive political parties, namely the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) have in their own respective ways perfected the art of practicing divisive politics in order to win elections.

Both parties have created a permanent divide among the people along racial lines. But regrettably, they have both failed so far to provide effective governance and despite a marked decrease in political violence over the years, the country is still racially divided. The economy is struggling and efforts to develop and diversify even with the advent of oil have not materialised.

The declared mission of our founding leaders was the acquisition of political independence which has been accomplished, therefore the mission of succeeding generations was to attain economic independence. However, based on the state of the economy today, it is fair to say that the unanimous grade for this generation is an “F.” Sadly, no leader or party has so far been able to say with certitude that they have succeeded in developing and diversifying the economy. If the economy is to make a quantum leap, our leaders must change the way they conduct politics and manage the economy. After more than 50 years of independence, that mission has not been accomplished. Our political leadership has been transactional, rather than transformative, a term coined by the American sociologist James V Downton to illustrate a marked difference between poor to average and excellent leadership.

This country stands at a critical juncture, blessed with natural resources, a youthful population, and untapped potential. However, what passes for political engagement today offers little hope to this nation. The two major parties, though they have not yet launched their manifesto offer little in the way of bold, people-centered policies to address the real issues confronting ordinary Guyanese. Not clear policy on dealing with income inequality, youth unemployment, corruption, health care decay, and an underperforming education system. Instead, what we have been fed with on the campaign trail are worn-out narratives, mixed with finger-pointing that alienates rather than inspires.

At the rallies held so far voters are subjected to onstage bluster and social media vitriol rather than meaningful conversation about what a just, prosperous, and inclusive Guyana might look like.

There are, however, from time to time, flickers of something different, something better. On Saturday night at the APNU rally in New Amsterdam, Businessman Terrence Campbell emerged as a refreshing exception, articulating a vision that places people above party and ideas above ego. He spoke about how the PPP government has been nonchalantly requesting money from that Natural Resources Fund, spending out 95 per cent of the money that Guyana earns from oil every year, while promising that under an APNU government they will save a minimum of 25 per cent of the money the country receives each year from its oil resources. His platform, while still developing will add depth to the APNU’s campaign, even as he seeks to bridge divides rather than widen them. Campbell’s tone, although not completely free of personal attacks, at least focused on practical, solution-oriented proposals.

Also on the campaign trail, the upstart political movement We Invest in Nationhood has injected a degree of energy and urgency into an otherwise staid contest. Attracting large gatherings at their mostly public meetings, they speaking the language of change, while grounding with the marginalised and poor. Though, face steep odds, with their leader under US sanctions for alleged gold smuggling, their very presence challenges the status quo and opens the door for broader political renewal if the numbers that show up for their meetings remain intact on elections day.

We have said here on many occasions that this country deserves better than what it is being offered by the two major parties. We believe democracy should be a platform for policy, not posturing, for progress, not personalities and if the PPP/C and the PNCR refuse to elevate the national conversation, they will continue to alienate the very people they seek to govern. Voters, especially the younger generation, are watching and waiting for someone to speak to their hopes, not their fears.

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• campaign trail, Editorial, Elections, PPP

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