Corbin showed political leaders can evolve — Ravi Dev — Opinion

Corbin showed political leaders can evolve

October 11, 2026·3 min read

Dear Editor,

Robert Corbin, who passed on October 4th, the day before the anniversary of the return of free and fair elections in Guyana in 1992, played an outsized role as a leader of the PNC in politics before and after that date. By the time I returned in 1988 to represent the NY-founded “Jaguar Committee for Democracy” to join the local struggle for electoral reform, Robert had become indispensable to Desmond Hoyte’s campaign to solidify his leadership of the PNC.

In the1985 elections, he had reprised the role he played in the party since he was a teenager working assiduously as a member, then leader, of the party’s youth wing, the YSM to organize majorities for the PNC at the polls of 1968, then in 1973 and 1980 for Forbes Burnham. Missing a parliamentary seat because of his age in 1968, he was handed one in 1973 and occupied it for over three decades. He earned a formidable reputation as a street politician, feared only slightly less than Hamilton Green, who was eased out of the party after Hoyte calculatedly rewarded Corbin with the Deputy Prime Ministership and transferred several PM responsibilities to him.

Quite conscious by then of the snobbery of Caribbean “doctor politics”, Corbin entered law school after the PNC’s loss in 1992 and had just finished his first year at Hugh Wooding when he rushed back to mobilize for the Dec 1997 elections. As such, he would again prove his worth as he subsequently helped organize massive rallies for Hoyte’s violent “mo fyaah; slow fyaah” campaign against Janet Jagan’s presidency.

Elected to Parliament in 2000 on the ROAR ticket after the PNC-bludgeoned, truncated PPP term, I became personally acquainted with Robert as a member of the opposition. Evidently knowing that I was vegetarian (then) he sought me out at a meal break with a particular non-meat dish, which served as an ice-breaker to many discussions on several of my pet issues – including reforming and “balancing” the Disciplined Forces. To my surprise, he said he agreed with me but advised that the process would have to be carefully crafted and executed. After he became PNC leader, he vigorously supported the establishment of the Disciplined Forces Commission^[1] which, inter alia, would recommend that policy and enabling mechanisms.

Mr Hoyte’s sudden passing in late 2002 resulted in Robert being elected PNC leader the following March – but not without much drama in the party from several quarters including Mr Hoyte’s protégé Raphael Trotman and Team Alexander. Not long after, I received a call from Lance Carberry saying that Robert wanted a meeting, to which I agreed, at his home in south GT. I found that Robert was convinced – as Mr Hoyte had become not long before he passed – that shared governance was the vehicle to resolve our political logjam. I informed him, however, that such a vehicle would suffer from the disequilibrium in size if individuals or smaller parties were to join the PNCR and the PPP was out. He agreed to the latter proposition and emphasized subsequently at discussions that there could be no national government without the PPP.

We parted amicably and very soon, the nation heard that talks between President Jagdeo and Opposition Leader Corbin had commenced^[2] as the latter downplayed Hoyte’s “slow fyaah; mo fyaah” strategy. This precipitated greater consternation from within and without the PNC. Sitting next to WPA’s Sheila Holder in Parliament, one day she burst out that “this is not what we put Corbin there…he was supposed to “manners” the PPP.”

Robert believed that Jagdeo would arrive at a modus vivendi with him at power sharing and acted accordingly. He also diligently had discussions at Waterchris with the smaller opposition parties like ROAR and WPA. However, sitting next to him in early 2006 at Sash Sawh’s funeral at Castellani House, when Jagdeo pointedly mentioned the “intellectual authors” of Sash’s murder, Robert angrily exclaimed, “If I was the old Robert Corbin…!” There was no agreement between them and with Trotman’s AFC siphoning off five seats from Corbin’s PNCR-One Guyana in the 2006 elections^[3], he faced more strident leadership challenges.

Robert stuck to his guns about the PNC needing an accommodative image and by 2010 announced he would not be their Presidential candidate for the upcoming elections. He riled party leaders like Aubrey Norton when he engineered APNU’s formation and David Granger’s presidential candidacy^[4]. Ironically, he was peripheralized in the new APNU+AFC government and Granger destroyed his inclusive vision by also sidelining his smaller coalition partners.

Robert Corbin demonstrated it is possible for political leaders to evolve and rise to the needs of their country.

RIP Robert.

Sincerely,
Ravi Dev

References

Six years on…House approves Disciplined Services report - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩
Corbin moving for fresh talks on power sharing - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩
OAS: Guyana Election Conduct “Does Credit To All Concerned” - South Florida Caribbean News — sflcn.com ↩
Granger formally named as JOPP presidential candidate - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩

Six years on…House approves Disciplined Services report - Stabroek News

www.stabroeknews.com · 2010-06-11

# Six years ... By Mark McGowan June 11, 2010 After spending six years before a Special Parlia-mentary Select Committee, the review report of the recommendations made by the Disciplined Forces Commis-sion, was last evening unanimously passed by the National Assembly, prompting Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee to predict the continued modernization of the country’s disciplined services. ... The minister said that a lot had been done in police reform and the modernization of the Guyana Police Force. Of the 71 recommendations made by the Commission for the Police, seven of these have already been implemented, he told the House. He noted that several reports and recommendations on the security sector had been passed by the National Assembly and explained that these had been incorporated in the country’s IDB-funded Citizen Security Programme. The motion to adopt the report was led by the Chairman of the Committee, Prime Minister Sam Hinds, who noted the lengthy time it took to be completed. He, however, argued that the administration had not wasted time, since it had already begun to implement some of the reforms. The recommendations have been highlighted as containing some of keys to addressing concerns about national security. Hinds said that time did not stand still since the government was able to implement some of the recommendations as they were being discussed. ... such as extrajudicial killings would ... they were now. ... officers and the important question regarding who was ... to carry a shot gun ... killing of Patent ... Secondary School student Kelvin Fraser, who was shot by a ... Meanwhile, Backer also pointed to the recommendations to address the issue of ethnic imbalance in the joint services. She said that in keeping with the recommendations, a study should be done by an independent body. Transport Minister Robeson Benn, who was a member of the select committee, pointed out that the issue of ethnic imbalance in the disciplined forces was a matter of concern that needed to be looked at. According to him, it was injurious to both the group that is dominant and to those who are excluded as well. While AFC Leader Raphael Trotman indicated his party’s support of the report, he expressed concerns at the length of time it took to approve the recommendations made and at the fact that several reports have in the past failed to be properly implemented ... “The record… speaks for itself and that is that none of these reports, and none of the recommendations, ... any, ever ... ,” he said ... convinced and have ... on the part ... “We shudder ... seven years to consider ... The report had its origins during the troublesome days on the East Coast when President Bharrat Jagdeo and opposition leader PNCR Leader Robert Corbin agreed to establish the Disciplined Forces Commission. The commission was given a mandate to begin work on July 1, 2003 to inquire into the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Prison Service and Guyana Fire Service in order to identify their shortcomings and to recommend remedies to respond to the public safety crisis. This was done and the commission’s final report was presented to the Speaker of the National Assembly on May 6, 2004. The report was then laid before the National Assembly on May 17 and was accepted unanimously. A select committee was then established in November 4, 2004, with a mandate to report to the National Assembly in four months but this process dragged on for years. The DFC, which was sworn in on June 30th, 2003, comprised Justice Ian Chang, attorney Anil Nandlall, former GDF Brigadier David Granger , ... general Charles Ramson and Irish human rights activist Maggie Bierne. Bierne resigned subsequently and was replaced by Dr Harold Lutchman.

Source

Corbin showed political leaders can evolve in Kiskadee Watch, October 11, 2026

Corbin moving for fresh talks on power sharing - Stabroek News

www.stabroeknews.com · 2009-01-11

Corbin moving for fresh talks on power sharing - Stabroek News ... – knocks Jagdeo call for trust With the renewed push for power sharing being dogged by questions of trust, PNCR leader Robert Corbin plans fresh consultations to build consensus among national stakeholders on the need for a new system of governance. “Executive power sharing is necessary and we believe that it should be taken down to all levels of local government so that they could become very important institutions for harnessing the energies of the people rather than having the polarisation that has troubled the country for the last fifty years,” Corbin told reporters on Thursday, a week after renewing calls for shared governance. The PNCR’s position is informed by its original blueprint on shared governance, which was birthed out of the recognition of the need for all stakeholders to decide on an appropriate approach to institute a ... be wholeheartedly embraced by ... governing PPP/C ... which has said trust is a prerequisite to any talks ... Last week President Bharrat Jagdeo said his attempts to get greater cooperation between the political parties “unravelled” in the wake of the leadership challenge within the PNCR and suggestions that Corbin was “too close” to the government. “Utter rubbish,” Corbin said, in reaction to the Jagdeo’s comments. “I have never heard so much hypocrisy all my life.” He stressed that internal problems within either party could not affect the discussions and noted that even up to their last meeting last year, shared governance was on the agenda. He further stated that problems within ... party are of recent vintage, thereby casting doubt on the credence of the President’s claim. “The PNC is a political party that will put its house in order; he [the President] should not bother with that or try using it as an excuse,” he said. “Let him deal with the infighting within the PPP for who will be the next president.” Jagdeo also said building trust is a prerequisite to greater collaboration between the parties–a point that Corbin poured scorn on. “If you have trust you would not have any need for shared governance,” he declared, while citing the examples in other countries. ... Corbin also sought to dismiss the view that lingering questions about his leadership of the party and the opposition could undermine the push for shared governance. Calling the issue bigger than the personalities of the political parties, he said it is entirely dependent on the endorsement of wider society. He stated categorically that neither he nor the President could force the issue and he said one of the reasons for the delay in the shared governance talks that was scheduled was Jagdeo’s failure to convince the PPP/C executive to get on board. ... With a view of mobilising support for shared governance, Corbin is planning renewed consultations with key stakeholders, including political parties as well as civil society organisations. “All of them need to be on board and one has to forget the illusion that the problems of the country can be solved by just elections alone,” he explained. ... At the invitation of the Social Partners civil society grouping, the PNCR presented its original blueprint for shared governance in 2002. It conceptualised a cabinet comprising all the major parties and the re-introduction of a non- ... of state appointed from the party with the largest popular vote. The blueprint included proposals for ... , as determined by periodic national elections, to be used to fix ... in the national ... . It also noted the need for predetermined structures and procedures to be enshrined in ... constitution or in any ... agreement to facilitate ... . It was envisaged that the larger the ... would be the ... itions to the ... . And in order to prevent ... , the design of ... would incorporate decision

OAS: Guyana Election Conduct “Does Credit To All Concerned” - South Florida Caribbean News

sflcn.com · 2006-09-10

OAS: Guyana Election Conduct “Does Credit To All Concerned” - South Florida Caribbean News # OAS: Guyana Election Conduct “Does Credit To All Concerned” sflcn September 10, 2006 GUYANA – The Organization of American States (OAS) election monitors have reaffirmed their assessment that Guyana’s August 28 general and regional elections “were conducted in a manner that does credit to all concerned.” The preliminary report of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission, which Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin delivered to the Permanent Council today, stressed that the current post-election momentum provides an opportunity for Guyana and its political leaders “to work across party and ethnic lines to address the social and economic challenges of the 21st century.” Ambassador Ramdin, who led the team of monitors, told the member state ambassadors that the environment that existed during the campaign, on election day and thereafter, should be continued in order to “promote dialogue and an inclusive approach to governance.” He said all stakeholders, including political parties, electoral authorities, civil society and the Disciplined Forces, welcomed the presence of the OAS Electoral Observation Mission—the largest ever fielded by the OAS in an English-speaking Caribbean country. Ramdin reported that the OAS provided the only mission that had a presence in all of Guyana’s 10 administrative regions, monitoring more than half of the 2,000 polling stations. The mission, which on election day itself consisted of 123 monitors from 24 countries, provided “a systematized method of reporting observations from the field that covered each stage of election day, from the opening of the polls to the closing, counting of the votes and transmission of results.” The Assistant Secretary General commended the Guyanese people and the Guyana Elections Commission for their diligence and for the professional and disciplined conduct of the elections, and noted that the OAS is encouraged at the ongoing discussions between President Bharrat Jagdeo and Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin on key issues facing the country. Ramdin also thanked the Guyana government, the Permanent Mission of Guyana to the OAS, the political parties and GECOM for cooperating with and assisting the OAS Election Observation Mission. He specifically acknowledged the financial assistance provided by several governments, including Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States to facilitate the OAS mission. Thanking the OAS as well as the countries that provided assistance for the observation mission, Guyana’s Permanent Representative, Ambassador Bayney Karran, hailed the peaceful, positive and uncontroversial outcome to the electoral process as having “the potential to turn a new page in Guyana’s political history.” He described the end result of the electoral process as “an important show of faith in the institutions of the country.” Responding to the report, the member state delegations reiterated their support for the work done by the OAS observer team, adding their own congratulations to the Guyanese people on this important electoral exercise. They also supported a recommendation, put forward by Grenada’s Ambassador Denis Antoine, who participated in the election observation team, that the OAS remain engaged in Guyana.

Granger formally named as JOPP presidential candidate - Stabroek News

www.stabroeknews.com · 2011-06-24

Granger formally named as JOPP presidential candidate - Stabroek News # Granger formally named as JOPP presidential candidate By Staff Editor June 24, 2011 David Granger will lead the Joint Opposition Political Parties (JOPP) into the upcoming general elections under the banner of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which will present a single list of candidates. It was announced today that JOPP has transitioned into APNU and an official launch of the new partnership is set for July 8 when other major announcements are expected to be made including who will assume the role of Prime Ministerial Candidate. With Granger as the consensus presidential candidate the APNU will contest the elections with a single Representative and Deputy Representative of the List of Candidates, in addition to a common symbol; an agreed electoral platform; and a unified campaign organization and management. ... He thanked JOPP for choosing him as the Presidential Candidate saying, “I shall not disappoint the Guyanese people” to thunderous applause. After his declaration, a supporter seated in the audience shouted, “We know, we know!” The atmosphere was electric whenever Granger’s name was mentioned yesterday with people applauding and in the case of others, vocally endorsing Granger for the JOPP position. JOPP said in a statement today that the APNU will soon identify and announce the candidates who would be put forward for the various Lists required for general and regional elections, adding that a leadership core led by Granger and consisting of four nominees, one from each of the member parties of JOPP, is in the process of being established. ... JOPP explained that the APNU is not a political party, but an association of political parties, Guyanese organizations and citizens that share a common desire and are guided by a Statement of Principles. ... Opposition Leader, Robert Corbin called the APNU a “new beginning”, noting that the Central Executive Committee of his party has, by a unanimous resolution, authorized him to commit the PNCR to membership of the APNU. “We are equally confident that our APNU consensus Presidential Candidate has the integrity, capacity and the competence to lead …and will ensure that the objectives of APNU are achieved”, Corbin declared.