SPINE IS NOT A SLOGAN

592 GUARDIAN♦ OPINION♦ GTOWN GUYANA♦ JUNE 2026

Spine Is Not a Slogan: Setting the Record Straight on Opposition Leadership

Dr.Rick Itwaru’s declaration that Guyana has finally found “an opposition with a spine” may resonate with those eager for confrontation, but it does not withstand serious scrutiny. The problem is not the desire for a stronger opposition—that is both valid and necessary. The problem is the reckless inflation of a political figure whose performance, to date, falls far short of the standard being claimed.

Spine is not noise. It is not posture. And it is certainly not selective defiance.

Spine, in the Guyanese political tradition, has a meaning forged under pressure—real pressure.

It was embodied by Dr. Cheddi Jagan, a man who did not merely speak against power but endured its full force. Jagan stood firm when it was dangerous to do so. He was not just opposed by a sitting government; he was undermined by coordinated international interference, including documented CIA involvement in destabilizing his administration. These are no longer speculative claims—they are part of the historical record.

Yet even under that weight, Jagan did not abandon the institutional ground. He did not retreat from the electorate that entrusted him with power. He held his party together, maintained organizational discipline, and continued to operate within the framework of democratic legitimacy. His convictions were not episodic—they were sustained. He wrote The West on Trial not as political theatre, but as a testament to ideological clarity and endurance. And ultimately, he returned to power not through spectacle, but through persistence and principle.

That is spine.

To now elevate Azruddin Mohamed into that lineage is not just premature—it is a distortion of political reality.

Eight months after being handed a democratic mandate, Mohamed has failed to ensure that his own party occupies its rightful seats in Region 10. This is not a minor oversight. It is a fundamental failure of leadership. Representation delayed is representation denied. Every day those seats remain unoccupied is a day the voters who supported him are effectively silenced.

Worse still, the vacuum has consequences. The previous Chair, Deron Adams, continues to occupy the space that voters explicitly chose to change. That is not resistance. That is surrender by default.

What exactly are we calling “spine” here?

If a leader cannot marshal his own organization to fulfill the most basic obligation—taking up seats already won—then the rhetoric of fighting the system rings hollow. Governance, even in opposition, demands structure, discipline, and follow-through. It requires more than public confrontation; it requires internal control and respect for the mandate given by the electorate.

Itwaru’s commentary conveniently sidesteps this reality. In doing so, it replaces analysis with advocacy. It constructs an image that does not align with the facts on the ground. And in elevating Mohamed beyond his demonstrated capacity, it does a disservice to the very standard of leadership it claims to defend.

Guyana does need a stronger opposition. It needs leaders who will challenge inequity, demand transparency in the management of oil wealth, and confront the excesses of entrenched power. But strength must be measured in outcomes, not intentions.

Cheddi Jagan’s legacy reminds us that real political courage is not situational. It is consistent. It does not falter at the first test of organization or responsibility. It does not leave supporters unrepresented while claiming to fight on their behalf.

Azruddin Mohamed may yet grow into a more effective political figure. That remains to be seen. But at this moment, the record is clear: he has not met the standard required to justify the praise being heaped upon him.

When he can secure his own political base, enforce internal cohesion, and ensure that the mandates given to him are fully executed—then, and only then, can a serious conversation begin about leadership worthy of national consequence.

Until that happens, talk of “spine” is not analysis. It is exaggeration.

And Guyana deserves better than that.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 592 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙂𝙪𝙮𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙘, 𝙥𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧𝙨.