The politics of illusion

Aug 19, 2025 Editorial, News

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Kaieteur News – Every day, media houses have to brace themselves for a press invite by the government to a commissioning of a half-complete project or a facility already in use, sometimes for over a year now.

Then there is the everyday turning of the sod for some school project or the launch of some programme, never heard of before, but being rolled out at this time as part of the politics of theatre and illusion by the PPP/C administration. We have written ad nauseam about how the government has been abusing State resources to campaign and as Guyana nears the September 1, 2025 elections, the line between genuine development and electioneering performance has blurred.

We have witnessed in the past few weeks, government engaging in a flurry of high-profile sod-turning exercises, ribbon-cuttings, and “commissioning” ceremonies for projects, many of which either barely exist beyond the drawing board or have already been in operation for one to two years. These spectacles are not innocent acts of nation-building, but rather carefully orchestrated performances, designed as part of the administration’s election campaign to sway public opinion.

And the evidence is there for all to see – school projects that were never previously mentioned in the national budget or debated in Parliament suddenly appear as if conjured out of thin air. Hospitals, clinics and other facilities are opening with pomp and ceremony, but remain understaffed and poorly equipped. The president and his ministers pose for the cameras in helmets and shovels, turning the sod for schools and roads with little transparency about actual timelines, funding, or feasibility. In some cases, facilities already quietly serving the public like the North Ruimveldt Multilateral School, police stations on the East Coast Demerara and Essequibo are suddenly “commissioned” anew, simply to manufacture the illusion of achievement.

The question Guyanese must ask is this: if the government is so proud of its record as they boast about, why the desperate scramble now? Why the rush to slap plaques on unfinished or half-prepared structures, or to present existing institutions as if they were newly built? The answer lies in the manipulation and abuse of State resources for political gain. It is well known that elections are supposed to be a contest of ideas, where a government defends its records while presenting its visions for the future. Yet, the PPP/C instead of relying on genuine accomplishments, seems intent on staging a political carnival. State resources both human and financial are all being mobilised to create a parallel reality, one where ribbon cuttings replace real service delivery, and photo opportunities substitute for genuine development.

The danger of this strategy is not only its dishonesty but its wastefulness. Every sod-turning event consumes taxpayer dollars: security, transportation for staff, massive catering expenditures and the logistics of organising grand ceremonies. Funds that could be used to equip the very resource-starved hospitals, paying nurses more or upgrading rural schools are instead funneled into political theater.

The government’s defenders may argue that development is ongoing, and that every administration highlights its successes. Yet, it is also true that real progress is seen in consistent investment, transparency and measurable outcomes, not hurried commissioning ceremonies and sod-turning events. The schools being commissioned, most of them are understaffed with few qualified teachers, hospitals are also not adequately staffed with the needed equipment, some of the roads that are being built are shoddy and poorly maintained.

If the government with all its boasts had genuine confidence in its five-year record, it would not need to resort to such theatrics, such mad scramble with all these ceremonies, the people would see the improvements in their daily lives: better healthcare, affordable housing, reliable infrastructure, and enhanced opportunities. By scrambling to commission incomplete facilities and relaunch existing ones reveals a quiet fear by the government that its record does not stand on its own merits.

As the election draws near, citizens must look beyond the ribbon-cuttings and ask the harder questions: where are the staff for these hospitals? where are the supplies? why are projects being unveiled now instead of steadily over the past five years? why is the government spending so much time staging ceremonies instead of solving problems? The answers will determine not only the credibility of this administration but the integrity of Guyana’s democracy.

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• Editorial, Elections, illusion, media, Politics

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