Dear Editor,
As a United Workers Party (UWP) activist and a proud resident of Region 10, I am deeply troubled by the way this government continues to handle the issue of land and housing, especially here in our region. While the PPP loudly preaches the slogan of “One Guyana,” their actions continue to tell a very different and painful story. What we see on the ground is not unity or inclusion, but division, discrimination, and selective treatment.
Across Guyana’s 83,000 square miles, the problem of squatting has become a national pandemic. Families from every background, Afro-Guyanese, Indo-Guyanese, Amerindian, and mixed, are affected. Yet it is disturbing to see that enforcement actions seem to disproportionately target Afro-Guyanese communities. When Afro-Guyanese citizens in Linden, Mocha, or Golden Grove face eviction and demolition, we are told they are “illegal squatters.” But when similar situations arise in other regions, the response is often quieter, softer, and more accommodating.
If this is truly “One Guyana,” why is one group being singled out for punishment while others are met with understanding and patience? That double standard cuts deep, and it exposes the painful truth, that political and racial bias still shape how justice and opportunity are distributed in our country.
The reality is that successive governments both PPP and PNC, have failed to act quickly, enforce housing laws fairly, or create enough affordable homes for a growing population. Now, hardworking citizens, single mothers, miners, vendors, and young families are being penalised for the failures of those in power.
In Region 10, countless families have been waiting for years, some for decades, for their house lots. Many have applied multiple times, and some have even paid deposits, yet they remain in limbo. Instead of helping them regularise their situation, the government brands them as “squatters” and threatens them with eviction. That is not compassion; that is victimisation.
Projects like the long-delayed Bamia Primary School stand as further evidence of this neglect. After nearly four years and millions of taxpayer dollars, the school remains unfinished, leaving our children to pay the price for poor planning, broken promises, and a lack of accountability.
How can a government claim to stand for “One Guyana” while treating certain regions and communities like outsiders in their own homeland? Unity cannot be built on slogans, speeches, or billboards, it must be lived through fairness, justice, and respect for all citizens, regardless of race, region, or political persuasion.
The United Workers Party believes that Guyana can only move forward when our leaders begin to lead with heart, honesty, and fairness. We therefore call on the government to stop dividing this nation and start living up to its own promise of “One Guyana.” Let us see that unity not just in words, but in action, in fair land distribution, completed schools, and restored dignity for every Guyanese family striving for a better life.