Dear Editor,
For too long, complacency has crept into Guyana’s political culture—across parties, institutions, and even the media. This stagnation did not emerge overnight; it evolved gradually, eroding democratic values and public trust. Today, we find ourselves in a place where institutions barely function, and democracy itself is fading into abstraction.
The People’s National Congress (PNC), once a formidable political force, suffered a dramatic loss in the last election—its worst showing in decades. For the first time in modern history, it is no longer the primary opposition. Over time, the PNC has morphed into an organization more concerned with defending the legacy of Forbes Burnham—right or wrong—than with confronting the hard truths of its own history. The controversies surrounding the 2020 elections and the widely accepted rigging of votes before 1992 hang over it like a shadow that refuses to lift.
Within the party and among its supporters, there is evident discomfort. For many, acknowledging the failures embedded in Burnham’s 1980 Constitution feels like an admission of guilt, a betrayal of political lineage. Yet, it is precisely this hesitation—the inability to condemn what is wrong—that keeps Guyana chained to the past.
Today, silence is no longer an option. The PNC, smaller opposition parties, the press, and civil society must recognize their shared responsibility. Our institutions are deteriorating before our eyes, and the 1980 Constitution—with its rigid list-based electoral system—has entrenched a form of elected autocracy. Around the world, this model has become the hallmark of modern authoritarianism: elections without accountability, representation without autonomy.
Unlike citizens in established democracies—the United States, Canada, or the United Kingdom—Guyanese do not vote directly for their representatives. Members of Parliament in Guyana owe their loyalty not to the people, but to the leader who controls the party list. This is not democracy; it is political patronage disguised as representation.
Defenders of the current system—whether in the PPP, PNC, or elsewhere—will insist that the list system and Burnham’s constitution are sacrosanct. They will offer excuses, invoke history, and promise reforms that never come. But the Guyanese people know better. Common sense tells us that when leaders answer only to themselves, freedom becomes an illusion.
It is time to act. Guyana deserves a constitution that restores accountability and gives power back to the people. We must demand the end of this flawed system and reclaim the democracy that has been slipping away for far too long.