One of Corbin’s greatest legacies will be that of a reformer — Terrence Harris — Opinion

One of Corbin’s greatest legacies will be that of a reformer

October 12, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

Today, the United States Region of the People’s National Congress Reform (USRPNCR), pays special tribute to the former General Secretary and Leader of the PNC/Reform, Hon. Robert Herman Orlando Corbin CCH. The Party has lost a rare political hero and loyal comrade who possessed the ability to successfully navigate Guyana’s complex political landscape with visionary leadership and strategic thinking. His life-long party activism, from Chairmanship of the Youth Arm of the Party, the Young Socialist Movement (YSM) to Deputy Prime Minister of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and subsequent Leader of the Parliamentary Opposition, was matched only by his courage to withstand and overcome political pressures as a true Reformer. In the midst of political turmoil, he was bold and courageous. He conquered fear and doubt, and rallied the PNCR out of its comfort zone in 2011 and into A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) Coalition, which propelled the party into Government in 2015.

Comrade Corbin did not merely participate in national politics, he transformed it. He remained faithful to the Party ideals, even as he crafted innovative solutions and fostered inclusivity towards the national good. He remained grounded as a party activist and grassroots organizer. The United States Region of the PNCR is forever grateful to him for being instrumental in the formation of the North American Region of the PNCR in 2004. It was his vision that helped shape the group in its formative years in the United States of America and Canada. He rallied support for the Party and gave true meaning to the words of the Party Battle Song, ‘Rally to the PNC.’

One of Corbin’s greatest legacies will be that of a reformer. It was under Robert Corbin, in 2006, that the PNC embraced the ‘PNCR/One Guyana’ concept (PNCR/1G). This was some two decades ago, and long before the current ‘One Guyana’ mantra was plagiarized and is now being misused and abused by the present Government^[1]. Reformer Corbin’s bold embrace of the concept of ‘Constructive Engagement’ with then President Jagdeo in 2003, resulted in the formation of various Parliamentary Committees and important Commissions such as the Ethnic Relations Commission, Constitution Reform Commission and Public Procurement Commission.^[2]

The United States Region of the People’s National Congress Reform joins with all Guyanese at home and in the Diaspora, in mourning the loss of a Steadfast Patriot and true Statesman, whose activism was never about personal ambition; it was about building an institution that is inclusive, resilient and enduring the test of time. We honour the memory of our treasured National Patriot and wish to quote the words of one of his favourite National Songs, “Let us Co-operate for Guyana, Let us Cooperate for our Land, Let us Resolve to fight together, see we do it right together, Can we do it, Yes we can.”

Yours sincerely,
Terrence Harris
Dr. Terrence Harris
Chairman
United States Region of PNCR

References

Nothing political about ‘One Guyana’ – Ali - Stabroek News — www.stabroeknews.com ↩
TOWARDS GREATER INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IN GUYANA "Building Trust To Achieve Genuine Political Co-operation" Presented by the PPP/C Government — www.guyananews.org ↩

Nothing political about ‘One Guyana’ – Ali - Stabroek News

www.stabroeknews.com · 2025-04-21

By Stabroek News April 21, 2025 President Irfaan Ali has responded to criticisms about the use of the “One Guyana” logo in the new 10-year passport saying it is merely a clarion call for unity, even as it demonstrates to the world that this country celebrates its oneness. “The One Guyana should not be a problem. One Guyana is a concept every Guyanese should embrace and I would like every political entity to take ownership and value of this concept,” Ali said when asked by Stabroek News in an interview on Saturday. “… Having it in our passport is a reminder to the world that we are one; we are one people. While we are six races, we are one Guyana. And this should be embraced by all,” he added. He said that while the inclusion of it in the passport brings awareness of the concept, it is also “about sending a strong signal to the psyche of our people, to the international world, to everyone that we act as our motto says: one people, one nation, one destiny.” ... Member of Parliament (MP) ... Walton Desir strongly criticized the inclusion of ... Editor, contended that the move ... part of a broader agenda by the governing People’s Progressive Party ... Civic (PPP ... blur the lines between ... and state. She described the decision as “a dangerous overreach” and an effort ... embed political propaganda into a national document ... belongs to all Guyanese, regardless of political affiliation ... She stated that the use of the slogan, which has been prominently associated with the Ali administration, compromises the neutrality of a state ... issued document. She also pointed to what she described as a pattern of state resources being used for political branding, citing its appearance on government uniforms, public service documents, and major cultural and ... The President said that since the slogan launch, he had emphasized that it was merely a rallying slogan for Guyanese unity and that he appealed to the entire country to help with the drive. Ali said that the public should not be leery of the call or think there was anything sinister in having the slogan in the passport. “We must act as one Guyana in everything we do; the way we treat our environment, the way we treat each other, in building out our economy …,” he said. “And you would have seen that I am working in every community because we want the one Guyana spirit, the one Guyana energy to capture the entire country and to build in us and the next generation, an understanding of who we are, the oneness of everything…” He said that “maybe the opposition and those critics of one Guyana are jealous of the way Guyanese are embracing it. “It’s now on everyone’s brand. Every person is using it as a brand, from the DJs to the private sector businesses to the average citizen … the cricket tournament, the football tournaments ….their brand is about one Guyana now. And that is what you want. It is demonstrating who we are.” The opposition had said that “One Guyana” should not be a substitute for Guyana’s motto “One People, One Nation, One Destiny”.

Source

One of Corbin’s greatest legacies will be that of a reformer in Kiskadee Watch, October 12, 2026

TOWARDS GREATER INCLUSIVE GOVERNANCE IN GUYANA "Building Trust To Achieve Genuine Political Co-operation" Presented by the PPP/C Government

www.guyananews.org · 2003-02-21

The Audit concluded that the elections were free and fair. A Constitutional Reform Commission was established and the PPP/C agreed to substantial reforms that advance the process of inclusive governance. The Constitution was amended to provide for: (a) Reducing the powers of the President; (b) An Opposition veto on the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice; (c) Expanding the functions of the Judicial Service Commission; (d) Strengthening the financial independence of the Judiciary and Auditor General; (e) Institutionalising participation by social groups in the decision making process; (f) Expanding human rights; (g) Involving the National Assembly in the appointment of Service Commissions (Public, Police, Judicial and Teaching); (h) Modifying the electoral system for national and local government elections; (i) Establishing of five Standing Committees to examine and review government policy in the social, economic, foreign policy and natural resources sectors; (j) A Parliamentary Management Committee; (k) A Human Rights Commission; (l) An Ethnic Relations Commission; (m) A Procurement Commission; (n) A Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform; (o) A Commission to review the functioning and composition of the security forces; and (p) Commissions on the Rights of the Child, Gender Rights and Indigenous Peoples. ... The Human Rights, Ethnic Relations and Procurement Commissions established in a bi-partisan way together can address allegations of police excesses, ethnic discrimination and corruption, which are some of the main unsubstantiated accusations which the Opposition has levelled against the Government. However, these and the other reforms now provided for by the Constitution to deal with these issues have not been given effect to because of the current boycott of Parliament by the Opposition. ... Consistent with the PPP and the Government's position on dialogue, as stated by President Bharrat Jagdeo below, an invitation ... issued to the late Mr. Desmond Hoyte, then Leader of the PNC/R to dialogue ... "I extend a hand of friendship to those who are in opposition and invite them to sit with us and iron out differences so that we can have a common cause to serve - a cause in service to our people and nation". (President Jagdeo, August 11, 1999) "It is critical that we engage one another in ... . We should always reach out and talk to each other. In this way, we would be fulfilling the mandate of all Guyanese as we share our differing views in ... consensus on the common objective of ... ". (President ... 31, ... The PPP/C believes that a conscious effort is required by the major political parties to build trust and establish confidence. Without such trust, suspicion will continue, motives will be questioned, policies will be judged on distorted criteria, resource allocation will always be followed by allegations of partisanship and agreements will be difficult to be arrived at. It is not even possible at this time to sign a crime communiqué as proposed by the Social Partners. The PPP/C proposes the implementation of all the constitutional reforms as an immediate measure to building trust and to further enhance inclusive governance. In this regard, the parties will be required to collaborate on: - the appointment of the Rights Commissions; - the appointment of the Parliamentary Management Committee; - the appointment of the Service Commissions; and - the appointment of the Standing Committees. The establishment of ... for in the Constitution ... functioning will generate confidence ... will. ... The PPP/C is encouraged by recent pronouncements by the main opposition party which indicate a commitment for constructive engagement. We hope that these engagements will result in the acceptance of these and other proposals to solve national issues, to build trust and to improve relations between our political parties.