Opinions – Page 15 – 592guardian.com

𝐀𝐈, 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚

May 1, 2026/0 Comments/in Opinions/by Staff Writer

𝗚𝘂𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗹𝗲𝗲𝗽𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹—𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁
Billions in oil revenues are flowing into state coffers at an unprecedented pace. Yet, for all this wealth, the structural realities remain deeply troubling: youth unemployment is persistently high, public healthcare and education systems are uneven at best, and procurement controversies continue to shadow major projects.
The uncomfortable truth is this—economic expansion is not translating into broad-based empowerment.
𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼𝘄, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁𝘀, 𝗚𝘂𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿.

𝗢𝗶𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗻𝘀.
Today, the government is increasingly financed not by the productive output of its people, but by resource rents generated offshore. This matters. When a state does not depend on its citizens for revenue, it has fewer incentives to be transparent, efficient, or accountable. Taxation historically forced negotiation. Oil revenues bypass it.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗚𝘂𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮? 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗔𝗻𝗱, 𝘁𝗼𝗼 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻, 𝗼𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆.
The Natural Resource Fund, heralded as a mechanism for safeguarding national wealth, remains a point of contention, with repeated concerns about withdrawals, oversight, and political control. Major infrastructure contracts continue to raise questions about transparency and value for money. Meanwhile, citizens—whose patrimony is being extracted at scale—are largely spectators to decisions that will define their economic future.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹.

𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁.
As artificial intelligence and automation reduce the need for human labor across sectors, the economic relevance of the average worker will decline further. In Guyana, where oil already dominates and diversification remains more rhetorical than real, this could entrench a model where wealth is generated with minimal participation from the population.
𝗔 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀—𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀—𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗶𝗹 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗔𝗜-𝗲𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁? 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵.
This is how accountability erodes—not through the removal of elections, but through the quiet stripping of their economic meaning.
A population that is not central to production has less leverage. A government that does not need broad-based taxation feels less pressure to justify its decisions. And a political system awash in rents can sustain inefficiency, patronage, and selective development far longer than a tax-dependent one ever could.

𝗚𝘂𝘆𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀.
Despite record revenues, there is no commensurate urgency in transforming education to prepare citizens for a technologically disrupted future. No clear national strategy to ensure that AI and digital transformation create opportunities rather than deepen exclusion. No robust, independent enforcement architecture that consistently reassures citizens that public funds are being managed with integrity.

𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗱, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻: 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗰𝗿𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸—𝘂𝗽𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗴𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗺𝘀.
If left unchecked, Guyana could become a country where wealth expands on paper while citizen power contracts in reality. A nation rich in resources, but poor in accountability. A democracy in form, but increasingly hollow in function.

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲.
Reversing course will require more than policy tweaks. It demands a fundamental shift in governance: enforceable transparency in the Natural Resource Fund, truly independent procurement oversight, aggressive investment in human capital, and a clear framework to ensure that emerging technologies serve the many—not the few.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰.
And if Guyana fails to confront this moment with honesty and urgency, we may soon discover that the greatest risk of our oil wealth—and our AI future—is not that it leaves us behind, but that it leaves most of us out.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣-𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮,𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.

𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐲𝐩𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚’𝐬 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠

April 29, 2026/0 Comments/in Opinions/by Staff Writer

𝐁𝐘: 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐟𝐟-𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝟓𝟗𝟐 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍

Guyana’s Minister of Local Government, Priya Manickchand, has launched a scathing attack on CARICOM leaders for engaging Venezuelan official Delcy Rodríguez while she sported a brooch depicting the Essequibo as Venezuelan territory. Her outrage, framed around the sanctity of sovereignty and principle, is—on the surface—understandable. But it is also transparently selective, and that very selectivity strips her position of any remaining moral authority.

Minister Manickchand correctly declared that “principle shouldn’t be convenient.” Yet, convenience has become the hallmark of this administration’s foreign policy. For decades, Cuba stood as a pillar of support for Guyana, providing critical medical expertise that our system relied upon. When the United States exerted pressure, Guyana turned its back on Havana, quietly terminating the Cuban Medical Brigade programme. Where was the public outcry regarding sovereignty and loyalty then? Apparently, principle only applies when it aligns with Washington’s current geopolitical push.

This duplicity is echoed in the recent missive from President Irfaan Ali to the CARICOM Chairman, in which he essentially demands that regional partners calibrate their bilateral engagements to suit Guyana’s sensitivities. It is a bold, if not arrogant, demand for a government that has remained notably silent when other CARICOM nations were being penalized by external powers for failing to fall in line with US interests.

To demand unwavering solidarity from one’s neighbours while exercising cold, opportunistic flexibility at home is a contradiction that does not go unnoticed in regional capitals.

CARICOM is a community of sovereign nations, not an extension of Georgetown’s foreign policy apparatus. Small island states, having navigated years of energy dependency through Petro-diplomacy, are being lectured by an administration that chose to align with Trinidad and Tobago—and by extension, Washington—at the expense of regional cohesion.

The hypocrisy is even more glaring when one looks inward. The government insists that the world must respect Guyana’s sovereignty, yet it refuses to practice that same respect within our own borders. The Attorney General and the President have actively shunned the Leader of the Opposition, denying him a seat at the table to be properly apprised of the upcoming ICJ proceedings. If this administration cannot be bothered to build a unified national front at home, it has no business demanding that CARICOM leaders carry that burden for them abroad.

Sovereignty is not merely a slogan to be brandished at regional summits; it is a responsibility upheld through transparency and inclusion. By excluding domestic stakeholders, the government weakens the very cause it seeks to defend.

Venezuela’s provocative use of symbols is an attempt to project authority where it has none, and it certainly warrants objection. But let us be clear: this is not a loyalty test that Guyana is qualified to administer. You cannot outsource your own integrity.

President Ali and Minister Manickchand are currently posturing as defenders of the realm, yet their actions border on the very bullyism they claim to oppose. They demand from our neighbours a standard they refuse to hold themselves to, assuming that CARICOM will act as a subservient instrument of their selective outrage. They are mistaken.

Diplomacy in the Caribbean is a complex balancing act, and if Guyana wishes to command genuine support, it must stop demanding compliance and start leading with consistency.

𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙩𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙡𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙜𝙚.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 — 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐥𝐢 -𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐏𝐏 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 – 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐜𝐡

April 29, 2026/0 Comments/in Opinions/by Staff Writer

𝐁𝐘: 𝐆𝐇𝐊 𝐋𝐀𝐋𝐋

My thinking was that Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s PhD president needed urgent help to make better use of his time. Searching for, locating, and dealing with the best people would assist him to prioritize, leave a lasting impression, eventually. I prefer being wrong; a president is involved. He jumped out; proved me right. About time mismanagement. A brooch, Dr. President? Is somebody kidding? Of all the matters crying for immediate attention, a brooch worn by America’s Venezuelan presidential plant with Essequibo ingrained, is what sends Excellency Ali off, drives him to get in the face of CARICOM leaders? Knock me down; let me stay down there, please. It’s better to be at the bottom than have to deal with this type of, ah (er), genius now so popular in modern Guyana. Worth saying again, however painful: new PhDs lack past profoundness.

Former Venezuelan caudillo, Nicolo Maduro Doro, repeatedly called Guyana’s Irfaan Ali an imperialist stooge, and his PPP Govt an American puppet. Shades of the PPP’s newest, closest friends, the Red Chinese. Neither he nor anybody in the PPP could generate a halfway hearty riposte. But Irfaan Ali is up the wall and going to the mat on some brooch. Of course, it is the symbolism, the bold-faced testing of the waters in the Venezuelan leader’s appalling audacity and arrogance. Aside: unless Americans put her up to that, so they can rush to Guyana’s side, emphasize the special friendship between the US-Guyana. America controls Guyana, dangles its leaders on a string. America suspends Venezuelan leaders by their neckties, and they still delight in sticking their tongues at GT and the PPP.

Now Pres Ali is on fire and he runs to some CARICOM leaders with sharp protests to convey his displeasure. He, a president, was labeled “insolent” by the now jailed onetime Venezuelan badman, and what did Excellency Ali do? He settled for silence as his trusted companion. Clearly, there is some difficulty within PPP Govt camps in figuring out how to keep Pres. Ali focused, and maximizing returns from his scarce time. It was he himself who said in his first year, that he’s a busy man, with a million matters managed all at once. But he is so sharp-eyed, and brilliantly advised, that he zeroes in a brooch and makes a big stink about it.

Venezuelan agents violate borders, shoot Guyanese soldiers, sack local communities, haul away spoils. The best that PPP Govt headmen have to offer is soft words, softer sticks, and the softest footsteps. But a miniscule, miserable, and maggot-like brooch is made into this monstrous apparition and existential concern. Is this PPP Govt a comedy or an effigy? When I first read of Senora Delcy Rodriguez’s daring foreign adventure, while armed with a brooch, my reaction was if that is how she gets an adrenalin rush, then the gracious lady is best given wide berth, left to her antics. Civilized Guyanese know that’s exactly how one responds on encountering certain citizens on the street. People talking to themselves. People dressed in gaudy costumes, with bizarre ornaments completing intriguing dress codes.

Because I know how PPP leadership thinks, Dr. Ali’s firefight over a fly is taking a sledgehammer to a snail. Much ado about the rambunctious and frivolous. At bottom, it is the PPP Govt’s (and leadership) patented pattern of deflection. Distracting from the ruff stuff, covering up the tuff stuff. Like that US$2 billion gas project bacchanal. Pres Ali has studiously avoided addressing the gaping exposés in that energy masquerade, and in Delcy Rodriguez’s brooch he found the perfect distraction for gullible Guyanese. Recall the four-step recovery program developed by the PPP. Distort first. When that fails, deflect. Should that drop dead, then deny. And when all of those fall apart, then seek and destroy the messengers. Ali sealed his lips on the US$2 billion bag of tricks. Delcy Rodriguez’s brooch pulled his lips apart.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣-𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮,𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨.— ✦

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 — 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲

April 14, 2026/0 Comments/in Opinions/by Staff Writer

When Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond launched her now-infamous crackdown on tinted vehicles, she stood before the nation and told us what was meant to be a defining line in law enforcement reform:

“𝑫𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆.” 𝑵𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒗𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔, 𝒏𝒐 𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒔 𝒕𝒐 “𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒐𝒏𝒆𝒔.” 𝑵𝒐 𝒆𝒙𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒍𝒍-𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒏𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅. 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒓𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒆𝒅, 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓.

But Guyanese citizens are now left asking — did she mean a word of it?

Because for days, social media has been flooded with footage showing a government-issued pickup — a multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded vehicle — being hauled from a trench. The incident reportedly followed a night out, and according to multiple accounts, the driver was none other than Minister Walrond’s own son. The videos show laughter and levity where accountability should have been.

And what has been the official response? Silence.

Not a word from the Ministry of Home Affairs. Not a statement from the police hierarchy, which operates under her authority. Not even an acknowledgment from the Minister herself — despite journalists having put the question directly to her within the same Police Media Group she oversees.

If it were an ordinary citizen caught recklessly misusing public property, the Minister’s tint-crackdown swagger would have reappeared in full force. There would be arrests, charges, and public shaming. Instead, the institutions that exist to enforce standards seem paralyzed under proximity to power.

This is not just hypocrisy — it is a constitutional distortion. The police, reportedly instructed to step back when she appeared at the scene, raise the troubling specter of executive interference.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒑𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒍𝒂𝒘 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒍𝒂𝒘𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆, 𝑮𝒖𝒚𝒂𝒏𝒂’𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒄𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒔𝒖𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒓 𝒂 𝒘𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒓 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒉.

So yes, let’s address this anomaly — this glaring betrayal of the “One Guyana” promise. The Minister of Home Affairs cannot credibly lead a ministry dedicated to impartial justice while selectively shielding her own family. The standards she demands of the public must extend to her household.

When it comes to Family, Friends, and Favourites, it seems the Ministry of Home Affairs has one unwritten rule: silence is the policy.

Reports identify the driver as the Home Affairs Minister’s son, allegedly after leaving a nightclub. What followed was not transparency, but a wall of silence thick enough to hide a scandal.

That silence raises urgent questions of public accountability:

•𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚? 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐲𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐬𝐞. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬.

•𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐞? 𝐈𝐟 𝐬𝐨, 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬? 𝐈𝐟 𝐧𝐨𝐭, 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝 — 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞?

•𝐖𝐚𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬?

•𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 — 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦 — 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝?

It is difficult to avoid the stench of double standards. The same woman who spent the past year lecturing the public about responsibility, road safety, and accountability has gone mute when those principles touch her own doorstep.

Last year, at the launching of Road Safety Month, Minister Walrond warned against “carelessness, speed and distraction” and pledged that even a single death caused by a drunk driver was “one too many.” She later stood beside a grieving mother at an event for victims of road accidents, her voice thick with empathy as she spoke of “tragedies we have the power to prevent.”

In December, she thundered about transparency, promising to bring an end to the “selective practices of the past.”

Today, those very words have returned to challenge her credibility. By allegedly interfering in the crash scene and remaining silent while the police hold their breath, she has done exactly what she accused others of doing — bending the law for convenience and privilege.

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒎𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒔. 𝑰𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒒𝒖𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒕𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒆𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒄𝒔.

When the Minister responsible for law and order fails to submit herself and her family to the same standards she is mandated to apply to ordinary citizens, she undermines every police officer, every prosecutor, and every citizen who still believes in equal justice under law.

No minister can credibly lead a portfolio dedicated to “safe, transparent, and enforceable” governance while embodying the opposite.

The time for silence has passed. Minister Oneidge Walrond must go — not because of the circulation of a video, but because she has forfeited the moral authority to lead. The people’s desire is clear: Guyana deserves a Home Affairs Minister who serves the law, not one who bends it.

𝑰𝒇 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒖𝒑𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒐𝒏𝒐𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓: 𝑴𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝑶𝒏𝒆𝒊𝒅𝒈𝒆 𝑾𝒂𝒍𝒓𝒐𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 — 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙩𝙝 , 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙄𝙣 𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙖 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝘾𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨

161 Billion for Health, but None for Marlon

March 23, 2026/0 Comments/in Opinions/by Staff Writer

When the government boasted of a record $161.1 billion allocation to the health sector this year, it was sold to the nation as an affirmation of progress — gleaming hospitals, high-tech diagnostics, and a promise that “all Guyanese” would benefit from improved healthcare delivery. Yet, as a nation, we stand today in collective mourning.

Twelve-year-old Marlon Jupiter is dead — gone before his time — because the state that swore to protect him could not find $7 million to save his life.

Marlon suffered from T-lymphoblastic lymphoma, a rare but treatable cancer. The care he needed did not exist in Guyana. His family, like so many others before them, turned to the public with desperation — social media pleas, bake sales, and appeals for help. While they struggled to raise US$35,000, the government was signing off on hundreds of millions in discretionary allocations: $900 million for “Men on a Mission,” $300 million for the Office of the President, and untold sums for lavish conferences, diplomatic missions, and “consultations.”

In a budget where individual kickbacks can exceed $7 million, it is a national disgrace that a child was forced to die for want of that same amount.

What value do mounds of concrete and air-conditioned wards carry when life-saving treatment remains beyond reach? Of what use are billion-dollar budgets when their impact cannot be measured in the preservation of a single innocent life? This country continues to exhibit a pathology of misaligned priorities — where optics eclipse substance, where monuments matter more than lives, and where political showpieces are dressed up as “investments in health.”

When “healthcare” is invoked to justify building promenades for private hospitals and expanding vanity projects under the First Lady’s fund, we see what truly drives the expenditure: image management, not human welfare. The Constitution guarantees free healthcare, but “free” means nothing when it is hollow — when fundamental care is missing, and when bureaucracy and neglect replace compassion and responsiveness.

Marlon’s death is not just a tragedy. It is an indictment. It represents criminal negligence by a state that failed to deploy its resources toward their constitutional purpose — the preservation of life.

Every public dollar misused or hoarded for politics is a moral crime, costing lives like Marlon’s. A government’s greatness is not measured by how many hospitals it builds but by how many lives its health system can save — in real time, when help is needed most.

Rest easy, young Marlon. You deserved better.

And to those in power: your legacy will be judged not by the floodlights on new infrastructure, but by the number of children who lived to see adulthood because you chose compassion over vanity.

𝐀𝐈, 𝐎𝐢𝐥 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚

𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬. 𝐀𝐥𝐢 -𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐏𝐏𝐏 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫, 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 – 𝐚 𝐛𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐜𝐡

𝐃𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐌𝐞 — 𝐔𝐧𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐘𝐨𝐮’𝐫𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲

161 Billion for Health, but None for Marlon

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