Dear Editor,
We stand at a precarious moment in our nation’s history. The democratic foundations we have worked to build are being systematically eroded, replaced by a creeping political hegemony that seeks to conflate the ruling party with the state itself. What we are witnessing is not merely robust politics; it is the calculated re-emergence of party paramountcy, and it demands our immediate and unwavering attention.
The evidence is no longer hidden in whispers but displayed in plain sight. The recent final report from the European Union Election Observer Mission served as a stark X-ray of our electoral health. It revealed a system where the playing field is profoundly uneven, citing a “lack of confidence” in the election administration and the abuse of citizens’ personal data for political campaigning. The response from the highest office was not one of contrition or commitment to reform, but of dismissive rebuttal. The justification that the abuse of state data is acceptable because “every other party did the same” is not only logically and ethically bankrupt but a chilling admission of the state apparatus being wielded as a party tool.
This incident is not isolated. It is a symptom of a deeper malaise. Government business is increasingly conducted as party business. The line between the treasury and the party coffers, between state property and partisan resource, has been deliberately blurred. Cabinet members, MPs, and party surrogates now galvanize not in defence of good governance, but in a concerted effort to project perceived supremacy and intimidate critics. Media houses, commentators, and influencers who dare to highlight anomalies face a coordinated pushback designed to silence dissent.
This growing autocracy represents a fundamental betrayal of the Constitution. Every individual who serves in public—constitutional office, from the President to the most junior minister, every commissioner, judicial officer, has taken a solemn oath of allegiance to the Constitution and the State of Guyana—not to a political party. This oath is a covenant with the people, a promise to serve the national interest above all else. The current trajectory, where state data is weaponized and critical voices are targeted, is a direct violation of that sacred trust.
Our Constitution, in Articles 161 and 225, establishes independent bodies and processes to protect our democracy from such overreach. Yet, these safeguards are being tested as never before.
Therefore, we issue a distinct reminder to those in power: your authority is derived from the people and is bound by the supreme law of the land. To the citizens, we issue a call to vigilance: democracy is not a spectator sport. We must collectively demand accountability, transparency, and the strict separation of party from state.
Let us organize, speak out, and reaffirm our commitment to a Guyana where power serves the people, not the other way around. The Constitution is on our side. Now, we must be the ones to defend it.
The Time to Defend Our Democracy is Now.