Celebrating Independence – 60 years too early

Jun 01, 2026 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Member of Parliament, Amanza Walton and other members of the political opposition have been complaining for some time about the lack of a meeting of parliament.

The PPP/C government has been turning a blind ear to their call for parliament to be convened. Perhaps in frustration, Amanza shifted tactics. She wrote to the leading Western embassies here in Guyana and to important foreign agencies and organizations, apprising them of the situation.

The main Western embassies responded by telling the government it needs to convene parliament and establish the various oversight committees. Not to do so, these powerful nations concluded, prevents opposition parties from providing the necessary oversight of the government that is essential in any democracy.

With remarkable haste, the PPP/C government responded, assuring these Western embassies that it plans to hold a sitting of parliament on the 5th of June 2026. The response was delivered by the PPP’s old veteran politician- Minister Gale Teixeira. Before I continue with other examples of servile behavior by this government, Comrade Gale’s response needs to be examined closely.

In the afore mentioned response, Comrade Gail went on to say she wished that the foreign embassies that spoke out against the neglect (no parliament meeting for over 90 days) had consulted the government before issuing statements on the situation.

If they had done so, Comrade Gale continued, they would have been told of the government’s intention to convene parliament on 5thJune 2026.

Now, what sort of response is that? Did no one at the Office of the President check the comrade’s proposed statement, before she delivered it? The complaint was that not convening parliament for over 90 days was a travesty and pushing the boundaries of democratic practice. How to tell these Western Nations that the government will convene parliament after a 100 days lapse be satisfying or comforting?

With embarrassing regularity, we read about how those foreign companies in the oil industry are making amazing wealth while Guyana gets next to nothing and our government tells us there is nothing it can do. They tell us of sanctity of contracts, that attempts at renegotiation would scare off would be investors. Yet, with stunning regularity we read other small nations doing just that. If not enough the Guyana government sides with EXXON and even goes to court in defense of EXXON against the country that it leads.

Meanwhile, public servants struggle to exist (not live) on starvation wages and salaries, while government seems reluctant to pay them decent wages, arguing that same would lead to inflation. Funny how, here in Guyana anything done for certain section of the poor is perceived as leading to a negative result. While massive sums can be found for the sugar industry which seems to be thermally ill, but benefitting from the attention of a doctor who refuses to accept the truth that his training tells him about the patient.

And so, we come to the night of 25th May 2026. Picking Fort Island for the official flag raising ceremony was a good decision and one for which I congratulate the government. It was nice to see so many West Indian dignitaries and celebrities present. This makes me wonder, were the leaders of the various opposition parties invited? If not, why not? Why invite our brothers and sisters from the wider region to break bread with us, while excluding those in our home from the celebration? For me, it would have been nice to see Amanza O.R. Walton, (who is perhaps our most brilliant mind in parliament at present) taking her seat and being treated with respect. Let’s remember, Burnham and Jagan embraced at our first flag raising.

We love to speak about how the British controlled and exploited us using the system of divide and rule. As we celebrate our 60th independence anniversary, were we determined to show how well we have learnt this art?

I looked at the attempts to raise our flag. Alone in my sitting room I bent my head with embarrassment, THE FLAG REFUSED TO UNFOLD! I watched the hierarchy of the various uniformed services, lowering their tired open palms from the salute to a position of attention on the stage. The President and the Prime Minister shifted their weight from one foot to the other in attempt to give ease to their tired legs. Still, the flag refused to unfold.

Trying to make sense of what I was seeing. My mind flask back to the writing of that great black American thinker and writer – James Baldwin, who if he could have witness this catastrophe, would have concluded that the flag by its behavior was trying to tell us, we are celebrating sixty years (60) of independence, sixty years too early.

Yours respectfully,

Claudius Prince

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• Amanza Walton, Celebrating Independence, Claudius Prince, Letters

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