Former Mayor of Georgetown and former Staff Sergeant in the Guyana Defence Force, Pt. Ubraj Narine, has launched a blistering critique of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government, singling out Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo for what he describes as a growing culture of arrogance, corruption, and public neglect.
In a strongly worded statement, Narine accused the PPP of betraying the Guyanese people, claiming that despite the country’s oil wealth, the average citizen remains trapped in poverty, fighting over “the crusts” of a nation’s riches hoarded by political elites.
“There comes a time in every nation’s history when its people must look inward and ask: who are we, and what are we becoming?” Narine wrote, calling the current state of governance “disgraceful” and “unacceptable.”
At the center of his condemnation was Vice President Jagdeo, whose conduct Narine described as having “deteriorated” to the point where vulgar remarks and controversial behavior are now symbolic of the administration’s detachment from the people.
“The term ‘latrine rats’ is harsh, yes,” Narine admitted. “But what else do you call those who live fat off the filth of corruption, secrecy, and exploitation while the people struggle in the gutters?”
Narine’s statement paints a grim picture of life under the PPP: skyrocketing living costs, youth unemployment, neglected rural communities, and crumbling public services. He argued that the Government’s public narrative of development is a smokescreen masking widespread inequality and elite enrichment.
“They boast of progress, yet the average citizen sees none of it,” he said. “The PPP Government, bloated with power and privilege, gorges itself on the bread—the whole bread—while everyday Guyanese are left to fight over the crusts.”
The former mayor urged citizens to reject complacency and rise against what he called a systemic betrayal of public trust. “This is not about political rivalry. This is about survival,” he emphasized. “We must organise, mobilise, and raise our voices louder than ever. Because if we do not, then the latrine rats will continue to feed—and we, the people, will be left to starve.”
Narine’s scathing statement is likely to intensify political tensions as Guyana grapples with the dual realities of oil-fueled economic promise and persistent social inequities.
