Jagdeo was defending the old PPP-PNC dynamic — Vishnu Prashad — Opinion

Jagdeo was defending the old PPP-PNC dynamic

October 16, 2026·3 min read

Dear Editor,

I listened carefully to the General Secretary of the PPP, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo’s remarks at the wake of former PNC General Secretary Mr. Robert Corbin^[1]. His acknowledgment that the PPP and PNC were shaped by a greater force that kept them divided along racial lines was notable. But let us be honest: the force that sustained that division was not some abstract system in London; it was the hunger for raw political power by men domiciled in Guyana.

Mr. Jagdeo spoke of a system that paralyzed our thinking, yet he positioned himself outside that system. What hypocrisy? Mr. Jagdeo was not a bystander. For over two decades at the highest levels of government, he was the principal architect and beneficiary of the very “apan-jhat” politics that facilitated the very existence of the PPP and the PNC. Who perpetuated that system after 1992? Who could have dismantled it?

It was under his watch that fear was instilled in those who dared to cross political lines. It was Team Jagdeo that crafted the language of exclusion inside of the PPP. When principled leaders like Khemraj Ramjattan and Ralph Ramkarran stood for good governance, they faced personal consequences — not from phantom forces, but from Team Jagdeo.

Mr. Jagdeo’s warm tribute to Mr. Corbin is telling. Mr. Corbin was celebrated because he understood his lane; he was Opposition Leader for life. Mr. Hoyte is never afforded the same honour; because he never tolerated the games. He put Guyana first, across race and party and was battling to win power again until his dying bed to continue the art of good governance that he practiced between 1987 and 1992.^[2]

And now we are told that the Leader of the Opposition does not understand how government works. What an insult to the intelligence of the Guyanese people. The PPP has been the greatest beneficiary of the abuse of state power. When the Leader of the Opposition points this out, the response is dismissal.

So let us examine the true purpose of government. It is to serve the people — to create conditions where every citizen can live in dignity, security, and with the opportunity to reach their full potential. Has the majority of Guyanese ever experienced this? Not on our best day.

Imagine a nation with over 12 billion barrels of oil — enough to make every citizen a millionaire for decades — yet half the population still lives in poverty. Oil leaves our shores daily, but thousands of our people cannot secure a house lot. And even when they do, the smallest home costs $20 million, beyond the reach of a family where the breadwinner earns a $130,000 monthly salary.

This is a contest between two visions. One fosters inclusion, accountability, and shared prosperity which is what Mr. Azruddin Mohamed is pushing. What Mr. Jagdeo was truly advocating was a return to the old PPP-PNC dynamic — a vehicle to counter the WIN Team that threatens to dismember both of these dinosaur political forces in 2030.

But it is not one man dismembering them. It is the idea he represents. Mr. Mohamed is a leader who is a multi-billionaire and has no need to steal from the people. The people feel safe with that idea — the belief that under Mr. Mohamed, our resources will be fairly distributed, that the 50% living in poverty will finally access the freedoms, resources, and opportunities that are rightfully theirs.

That is what Mr. Jagdeo fears. Not a man, but a movement. A new way that does not depend on “apan-jhat,” but on a system that enables every Guyanese to participate fully in the sharing of our wealth.

So enough of your crocadile tears Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo; this is the age of quantum computation.

Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Prashad

References

Jagdeo reflects on “cordial and respectful” relationship with late Robert Corbin – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana — demerarawaves.com ↩
Desmond Hoyte | The Independent | The Independent — www.independent.co.uk ↩

Jagdeo reflects on “cordial and respectful” relationship with late Robert Corbin – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana

demerarawaves.com · 2026-10-04

Jagdeo reflects on “cordial and respectful” relationship with late Robert Corbin – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana # Jagdeo reflects on “cordial and respectful” relationship with late Robert Corbin by Written By Denis Chabrol Sunday, 4 October 2026, 17:29 Then President Bharrat Jagdeo and then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin meeting at State House. ... Reflecting on his relationship with the now late Robert Corbin, Guyana’s incumbent PPPC vice president Bharrat Jagdeo, who, when he was president, had often met with the former opposition PNCR leader, said there were open communication lines between them. “Even through difficult and turbulent periods in our country’s life, we maintained the ability to speak with one another, a respect that continued beyond our time in office,” Mr Jagdeo said in tribute to Mr Corbin, who passed away at the age of 79 on Sunday after a prolonged illness. ... Mr Jagdeo, now Guyana’s Second Vice President and General Secretary of the governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), recalled that during his presidency, on numerous occasions Mr Corbin and he engaged on matters of national importance. “Though we represented opposing political parties, our relationship was cordial and respectful,” said Mr Jagdeo, considered Guyana’s most powerful politician. ... Mr Jagdeo said he was deeply saddened at the passing of Mr Corbin who devoted much of his life to public service and to the PNC/R. He said he served Guyana in Parliament for many years, held ministerial office, was a deputy prime minister and later as Leader of ... Opposition. He also pursued a career in law. ... “At this time of ... I extend my ... . Corbin’s family ... to the leadership ... membership of the People’s National Congress ... and to its supporters throughout Guyana and the diaspora. May his family, colleagues and supporters find strength ... memories of his life and service, and may his soul rest in eternal peace,” Dr Ali said.

Source

Jagdeo was defending the old PPP-PNC dynamic in Kiskadee Watch, October 16, 2026

Desmond Hoyte | The Independent | The Independent

www.independent.co.uk · 2002-12-24

| Hugh Desmond Hoyte, lawyer and politician: born Georgetown, British Guiana 19 March 1929; called to the Bar, Middle Temple 1959; QC 1969; Vice-President of Guyana 1980-85, First Vice-President and Prime Minister 1984-85, President 1985-92; Leader of the Opposition 1992-2002; married 1965 Joyce De Freitas (two daughters deceased); died Georgetown, Guyana 22 December 2002. | | --- | Desmond Hoyte was President of Guyana for seven years, from 1985 to 1992, during which time his main achievement was to repair some of the damage done by his predecessor, Forbes Burnham. Burnham had taken Guyana – the former British Guiana – to independence from Britain in 1966, and Hoyte served him faithfully for many years, in a variety of posts, including Vice-President and Prime Minister. The two men had much in common, as London-trained barristers from black, urban middle-class families. Hoyte succeeded Burnham as President on the latter's death in October 1985. But Hoyte was a more moderate and reasonable figure than Burnham, and he announced an immediate change of direction for the country. Through his Economic Recovery Programme, Hoyte did much to dismantle the rigid state control of the economy that characterised Burnham's disastrous "co-operative republic", the pursuit of which had driven Guyana to the brink of bankruptcy. Hoyte encouraged private investment, which had been scared away by Burnham's radical rhetoric and political interference, and the vital sugar industry, on which Hoyte was an expert, revived during his time in office. Guyana's biggest enterprise, the Omai gold mine, also dates from this period. In politics, Hoyte's attempts at reform were less effective. He relaxed Burnham's rigid control of the media, and – probably his greatest achievement – he organised free elections in 1992, in which he was defeated. But his attempts to bridge the racial divide in Guyanese society, between people of African and Indian origin, met with only limited success. He managed to wrestle control of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) from some of Burnham's more extreme followers, and he devised policies that favoured some prominent Indo-Guyanese businessmen. But the country remained – and remains – bitterly divided along racial lines. It was, therefore, greatly to Hoyte's credit that he introduced electoral reforms that made it possible for the opposition People's Progressive Party (PPP), which represented the majority Indo-Guyanese community, to win power at the ballot box in October 1992, putting an end to 28 years of PNC rule. Many PNC supporters took the results badly, but Hoyte stepped in at the moment of maximum tension to concede defeat graciously, and the PPP's Cheddi Jagan was able to take office. Hoyte's speech, in which he said, "I expect all citizens to accept these political developments, maintain a peaceful and harmonious climate in society and keep the welfare and good name of Guyana foremost in their minds", was rightly hailed as an act of great statesmanship. It helps to explain why even his most implacable political opponents honour his contribution to Guyanese public life. ... Hoyte was born in Georgetown in 1929. He ... law at London University, and was called to the Bar. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1969. At about the same time he was invited by his old friend and mentor Forbes Burnham to act as an adviser to the PNC and the trade unions linked to it, and he remained involved in active politics until his death. A cultivated and austere figure, whose name was never associated with any hint of scandal, Hoyte had many interests outside politics, including music (he was an accomplished pianist) and cricket. He also took an abiding interest in environmental issues, and was instrumental in creating the great Iwokrama rainforest project in the interior of Guyana. He is survived by his wife, Joyce. Their two daughters, Amanda and Maxine, were killed in a car crash in 1985.