‘Guyana is not a one-party state’ — opposition warns of democratic drift as Pres. Ali outlines five-year agenda outside of Parliament

Dec 18, 2025 News

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(Kaieteur News) – Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement and Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton-Desir and MP Sherod Duncan have issued a stark warning that Guyana’s democratic foundations are being deliberately sidelined, as President Irfan Ali on Wednesday outlined his five-year agenda outside the walls of Parliament.

“Guyana is not a one-party state,” Walton-Desir declared, condemning the President’s decision to deliver what is traditionally a parliamentary address on the lawns of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre rather than in the National Assembly.

By long-standing constitutional custom and democratic practice, the President’s address outlining the legislative and policy agenda of a new term is delivered at the commencement of Parliament, before elected Members of Parliament from both government and opposition. The address is formally recorded in the Hansard and presented in the presence of the diplomatic corps, the joint services, and representatives of the international community. “That is the accepted democratic practice in Guyana,” Walton-Desir said.

What is unfolding today, she warned, is a troubling departure from that practice. Parliament remains effectively paralysed, Guyana has no formally appointed Leader of the Opposition, and yet the President is delivering a speech historically reserved for the National Assembly, outside of it. “Parliament is not a backdrop for executive announcements,” Walton-Desir stressed. “It is the central institution of democratic accountability.”

Throughout Guyana’s history, such addresses have been delivered within the chambers of Parliament, whether or not opposition members chose to attend. The integrity of the process mattered because it affirmed the supremacy of Parliament over executive power. To bypass it now, she argued, signals a dangerous erosion of democratic norms. Equally alarming, Walton-Desir said, is the silence of the diplomatic community. There has been no public insistence on the reconvening of Parliament, no call for the appointment of a Leader of the Opposition, and no pressure for the resumption of parliamentary business. “This silence should concern every Guyanese,” she warned. “We are entering a period where we can no longer assume that external actors will defend our democratic institutions for us.”

According to the Forward Guyana Movement leader, the responsibility now rests squarely on the people of Guyana to safeguard constitutional order, parliamentary democracy and the balance of power. “This is not about political theatre or partisan advantage,” Walton-Desir said. “It is about defending the institution of Parliament itself. When Parliament is sidelined, democracy is weakened — and no nation can afford that.” She concluded with a clear message: Guyana’s democracy cannot be reduced to executive rule by convenience. “Guyana is not a one-party state, and our Parliament must not be treated as optional.”

Back in November President said that Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir was  out of the country, and as a result, the meeting to elect a Leader of the Opposition cannot be held until he returns. His comment was made amid threats of legal action from the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, led by businessman Azruddin Mohamed, over the Speaker’s failure to convene the meeting with opposition MPs to elect the leader of the opposition. Speaking reporters President Ali had said: “From what I’ve seen in the news, the speaker is traveling now, so you don’t expect the speaker to convene a meeting while he’s traveling or he’s on his overseas trip. So I’m sure that the speaker and the National Assembly, would convene a meeting at the appropriate time and have that process completed.”

Following the convening of parliament, Clerk of the National Assembly Sherlock Isaacs explained that while the constitution outlines the process for electing the opposition leader, it does not specify when the meeting must be held. “The constitution doesn’t say when the meeting is to be held, if it’s at the first sitting or the second sitting or third sitting; it’s at the discretion of the speaker,” Isaacs told reporters.

WIN in a statement following the convening of parliament expressed concern that the Speaker’s silence calls into question the impartiality of the parliamentary process. “This unexplained silence stands in contrast to the Speaker’s public oath to execute the functions of his office ‘without fear or favour, affection or ill will,’ and raises legitimate concerns regarding the impartial administration of parliamentary processes,” the party said.

The party said that while the President was swiftly sworn in following the elections, the same urgency should have been applied to the election of the Opposition Leader. As such, the WIN party further accused the administration of deliberately stalling the process. “The Leader of the Opposition is not symbolic; the Constitution requires that the holder of this office be consulted on major appointments, including the Police Commissioner, Chancellor, Chief Justice, and members of the Judicial Service Commission. Delaying this office undermines the balance of power and signals a disregard for constitutional governance,” the statement added.

Deeply troubling

Also adding his voice to the issue Duncan who said that the central issue with the five-year agenda rollout is not timing, it is process and intent. “A national development agenda is not a private presentation; it is a constitutional matter that belongs in the people’s Parliament. Yet this agenda was unveiled outside a closed National Assembly, bypassing the very institution designed to host national plans, debate them, and hold the Executive accountable.” Duncan said the symbolism of a President standing outside the legislature to announce a multi-year vision is stark and deeply troubling. “It signals a deliberate choice to avoid parliamentary scrutiny and to treat democratic institutions as optional. In a functioning democracy, such an agenda would be tabled before the National Assembly, subjected to debate, and shaped through representation, not announced as a fait accompli.”

Equally disturbing, Duncan added is the complete exclusion of the Parliamentary Opposition from this rollout. “This was not accidental. The structure and staging of the event ensured that the Opposition, elected to represent a significant portion of the electorate, was deliberately locked out of a process that should have been national and inclusive. A Five-Year Agenda that excludes dissenting voices cannot credibly claim to reflect the will or interests of all Guyanese.

While the delayed broadcast is a minor detail, it adds to the overall picture of poor judgment and disregard for democratic norms,” the APNU MP said. “Let there be no misunderstanding: formal and rigorous scrutiny of the Government’s plan will follow shortly, through the appropriate parliamentary and public channels. Guyanese deserve a future shaped transparently, debated openly, and anchored in democratic accountability, not one unveiled outside locked doors and shielded from immediate examination,” Duncan concluded.

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• Amanza Walton-Desir, democratic drift, Sherod Duncan

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