OPED – A Dangerous Shift in the Use of State Power

Apr 12, 2026 News

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By Amanza Walton, MP

(Kaieteur News) – Over the past several weeks, I have watched with growing concern as the tone, and now the conduct, of public authority in Guyana has shifted in a direction that should trouble every Guyanese citizen.

Remarks emanating from various quarters in the Executive can no longer be taken in isolation. What we are seeing is a pattern, in language, in posture, and increasingly, in action.

When the President, Irfaan Ali, speaks about publishing lists of citizens tied to irregular driver’s licences and warns of prosecution and public exposure, that is not simply administrative communication, it is deterrence through fear and public shaming.

When the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, moves from legal clarification to statements like “ignorance is no excuse,” delivered with public scolding and denunciation, that is not just guidance, it is admonition from a position of power.

When the Minister of Public Works, Juan Edghill, tells citizens that structures will be removed the same day, with no compensation and in some cases no notice, that is not orderly governance, it is enforcement delivered as threat.

When Priya Manickchand suggests that a municipality had no right to speak in a way that conflicted with her position, and that this has been met with a takeover of city streets by central government, it does not read as coordination. It reads as a demonstration of power, and a warning that opposition will be met with punishment.

And now we are seeing something even more serious.

The takeover of municipal roads and facilities, long under the stewardship of local democratic bodies, has not been accompanied by a transparent process or a cooperative transition. What we are seeing instead is assertion, displacement, and warning. Public statements and signage have gone so far as to suggest that local government officials may face arrest or prosecution if they attempt to access or operate within spaces that are still municipal property.

Pause and think on this. Elected local officials, representatives of the people at the community level, being warned away under threat of arrest from facilities tied to their mandate.

That is not administrative coordination. That is not intergovernmental cooperation. That is central authority overriding local governance through intimidation. It is bullying by the State.

Government is not a landlord barking instructions at tenants neither is Government an enforcer seeking compliance at any cost. Government is a servant of the people, entrusted with authority but bound by responsibility, the responsibility to communicate clearly, to act lawfully, and to treat citizens and institutions with dignity.

Yes, the law must be enforced. Yes, illegal structures must be addressed. Yes, infrastructure must be developed. Yes, jurisdictional questions must be resolved.

But how this is done matters!

What is missing here is a clear commitment to due process and legal clarity, to proper notice and reasonable timelines, to respect for local democratic institutions, and to giving people a pathway to comply before they are punished.

Instead, what we are increasingly seeing is a shift toward zero tolerance without explanation, immediate enforcement without structured process, public exposure instead of quiet administration, and threats in place of engagement.

The PPP Government is expressing its insecurity in the way it wields power. A confident government does not need to threaten its people or its institutions into compliance. It persuades, it informs, it builds trust, and when enforcement becomes necessary, it does so firmly, lawfully, and without spectacle.

We must also be honest about the signal this sends. When senior officials communicate and act in this way, it normalizes a culture in which authority speaks down, institutions are overridden rather than respected, citizens and local representatives are expected to submit rather than engage, and fear becomes a tool of governance.

History has shown us time and again that this is how societies begin to drift, quietly and incrementally, toward something far more dangerous.

Guyana stands at a defining moment, but development is not a slogan, nor is it measured only in oil revenues or new roads and bridges. It is measured in the strength of our institutions, the balance of our governance, and the respect shown to our people at every level.

We cannot build a modern Guyana on a foundation of intimidation, whether that intimidation is directed at citizens or at local government bodies. We must build it on respect, on transparency, on due process, and on mature leadership.

We can enforce the law without humiliating people. We can correct behaviour without threatening livelihoods overnight. We can resolve jurisdictional disputes without sidelining elected local authorities and we can lead without resorting to language and actions that diminish those we are meant to serve.

The people of Guyana deserve better than this tone, and better than this approach.

And to those in positions of authority, I say this plainly.

Power is not proven by how forcefully you can act against the public or its institutions. It is proven by how responsibly, how lawfully, and how respectfully you lead.

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• Amanza Walton, public authority, public shaming, State Power

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