Dear Editor,
When the PPP/C returned to office, they promised transformation, prosperity, development and equitable treatment for all Guyanese – in a “One Guyana” message. Nearly five years later, Guyanese are asking what has changed to make a difference in their daily lives? And what is being done to assure equitable sharing of the windfall oil wealth in the proclaimed fastest growing economy in the world? The sad answer is – very little. Instead of progress, citizens are burdened with blackouts, corruption, collapsing public services, and rising costs. The government has governed not with transparency and accountability, but with excuses and racist rhetoric. This is the verdict on PPP/C – promises made with promises broken, and a large segment of the nation left behind.
Darkness Instead of Development – The Energy Crisis
Electricity is the lifeblood of a modern economy. Yet under PPP/C, Guyana remains trapped in rolling blackouts. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo once boasted of “surplus power,” but factories shut down, businesses lose revenue, and households sit in darkness. The much-touted 300 MW Gas-to-Energy project at Wales, pitched as transformative, is already years behind schedule, plagued by secrecy, questionable contracts, and ballooning costs. No revised timeline, no transparency, no accountability. Guyana has seen this movie before, another Skeldon-style debacle in the making. Instead of integrating private generators or embracing net metering, PPP/C clings to expensive rental power contracts. The result – higher costs, lower reliability, and an economy strangled by energy failures. Without affordable power, Guyana cannot diversify, cannot industrialize, and cannot grow to its full potential.
Oil Wealth Betrayed – Corruption and Cronyism
Guyana’s oil boom should have been a turning point. Instead, under PPP/C, it has become a cautionary tale of corruption and elite capture. Opaque oil contracts, sweetheart procurement deals, and inflated infrastructure projects funnel wealth to political insiders while ordinary Guyanese are told to “be patient.” The NICIL scandals, Skeldon factory fiasco, Marriott deal — all past reminders and are now being repeated on a far larger scale with oil revenues. This is not just mismanagement; it’s a betrayal of national trust. Instead of building schools, hospitals, and modern infrastructure for all, PPP/C is enriching a narrow elite. Investor confidence falters, public trust collapses, and Guyana risks squandering the greatest opportunity in its history.
Healthcare in Collapse
Healthcare, too, tells the story of PPP/C’s neglect. Hospitals remain understaffed and underequipped. Doctors and nurses are overworked and underpaid, forcing many to migrate. Rural communities are left with empty clinics, while citizens wait hours for basic medicine and diagnostics that often never arrive. The government boasts of “modern hospitals,” but these are empty promises without the staff, training programs, or resources to sustain them. Meanwhile, chronic diseases, maternal health crises, and mental health remain dangerously underfunded. The result? Families going bankrupt paying private healthcare bills, productivity plummeting, and Guyanese dying from preventable conditions. Oil wealth should have built a 21st-century health system, not just physical facilities. Instead, PPP/C has left the nation sick and underserved.
Education: A Generation at Risk
No nation can rise higher than its education system. Yet Guyana’s youth are being asked to climb with broken ladders. Teachers remain underpaid, classrooms under-resourced, and dropout rates alarming. The government talks of “digital transformation,” but many schools still lack reliable internet, functioning labs, or vocational programs. Students graduate unprepared for technology, advanced manufacturing, or global services. The oil boom was supposed to fund world-class education. Instead, PPP/C has delivered stagnation and lip service, failing the very generation that should be leading Guyana into the future.
The Cost-of-Living Crisis and Rising Inequality
Perhaps nowhere is PPP/C’s failure more visible than in the daily lives of citizens. Food prices climb every month. Rent and transport costs crush working families. Utility bills rise even as blackouts worsen. Meanwhile, a small elite, connected to political power, grows fabulously wealthy from land deals, contracts, and insider access. The government points to skyscrapers and road projects as proof of “progress,” but ordinary Guyanese cannot eat asphalt or pay bills with GDP statistics. The oil boom was supposed to lift all boats; instead, PPP/C has widened inequality and left most Guyanese struggling to stay afloat.
Divisive Racist Rhetoric
Guyana’s fragile democracy rests on unity across its diverse peoples. Yet recent comments by Attorney General Anil Nandlall have ripped open old wounds, exposing once again the PPP/C’s troubling record of race-baiting and condescension toward Afro-Guyanese. Speaking at a recent campaign rally, Nandlall stunned the nation when he declared, “But I want you to tell them that a national hero of this country is Cuffy, and Cuffy was a proud and upstanding house-slave — nothing wrong with being a house-slave.” To make matters worse, he went further, invoking degrading references to Afro-Guyanese by remarking on the phrase “big batty African,” brushing it off as though such slurs were matters of lament rather than serious insults that demean an entire community.
Nandlall’s words were not accidental. In politics, language matters, and leaders know the power of words in shaping perceptions. By calling Cuffy, one of Guyana’s greatest symbols of resistance and freedom, a “house-slave,” Nandlall not only distorted history but also belittled the legacy of a national hero who led the 1763 Berbice Rebellion against slavery. The subliminal messaging was clear, Afro-Guyanese who align with the PPP/C are to be seen, at best, as “house-slaves.” That is, they are tolerated for their usefulness, but never respected as equals or free agents. It was a stunning admission, cloaked in rhetoric but soaked in disrespect. For many observers, it confirmed what they have long suspected – the PPP/C views Afro-Guyanese not as partners in governance, but as instruments to be managed, mocked, and minimized.
A Government of Excuses, Not Results
For nearly five years, PPP/C has responded to criticism with excuses. They blame predecessors, circumstances, or “sabotage,” but never themselves. The pattern is clear – big promises, flashy headlines, and no delivery. Electricity is still unreliable. Healthcare is still collapsing. Education is still underfunded. Cost of living is still unbearable. With each of these turns, the PPP/C has failed to meet the most basic expectations of governance.
Conclusion – Time for Change
The Attorney General of Guyana should be a voice of unity, fairness, and justice. Instead, Anil Nandlall has become a symbol of racial insensitivity and political arrogance. His comments cannot be excused, ignored, or swept under the rug. Guyanese deserve better than leaders who divide and demean. They deserve leadership that respects every community equally and honors the sacrifices of heroes like Cuffy without distortion or insult. Until that standard is met, PPP/C’s rhetoric will continue to cast a long shadow over the promise of national unity.
Coupled with the racist rhetoric, the PPP/C has failed the people of Guyana. September 1, 2025, must not be just another election, it must be a referendum on failed leadership. Guyanese deserve better leadership that delivers reliable electricity, affordable living, quality healthcare, empowering education, and prosperity that is truly shared. Anything less is more excuses. Anything less is more broken promises. The choice before Guyana is clear. The PPP/C has squandered its chance. It is time for change.