Political commentator and columnist GHK Lall has issued a pointed call to President Irfaan Ali, urging him to embrace true leadership, assert moral authority, and break free from the shadow of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo. In a forthright opinion piece titled “Be a Leader, President Ali,” Lall lays out a series of criticisms and recommendations aimed at what he describes as the president’s faltering governance and subservience to entrenched political figures.
Lall draws on the words of former United States (U.S.) President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who once said the presidency is “preeminently a place of moral leadership,” to frame his critique. He challenges President Ali to abandon a course of action that has, in his view, failed the Guyanese people and betrayed the moral expectations of the office. “Whatever his advisers are counseling him, it’s not helping him; whatever is in his head, it has failed,” Lall wrote. “Begin again, try another way.”
Call for Real Leadership
The first and central appeal in Lall’s piece is for Ali to act as a true national leader rather than a crisis manager. He insists that Guyana needs more than rhetoric or ceremonial leadership — it needs a decisive, independent commander-in-chief.
Lall openly questions the influence of Vice President Jagdeo, arguing that Ali appears to play “second fiddle” to someone whose political relevance, he suggests, should have long expired. “The world knows that President Ali plays second fiddle to Vice President Jagdeo,” Lall said. “The truth is much harsher: it is to save the president any further humiliation and discomfort.”
Critique of Public Service Attitudes
Lall also criticises the administration’s condescending approach to the public, particularly the way government officials, including President Ali, speak to citizens as if they are subordinate or uninformed. He reminds the president that elected officials are “servants of the people,” not their masters.
“Guyanese adults are no leader’s children… the president, the PM, the VP, and the entire cabinet are servants of the people. Highly overpaid, for sure; but servants.”
Police Reform as a Test of Credibility
Another major issue raised is the urgent need for genuine police reform. Lall warns that the administration’s handling of law enforcement is not only inadequate but could have serious electoral consequences, as evidenced by recent regional examples. He likens past reform promises to a “dead cat bounce” — appearing to show life briefly before collapsing into failure. “Guyanese need palpable police reform, not more presidential platitudes… This issue is a maker or breaker in a real country.”
Moral Leadership and Conflicts of Interest
In one of the most biting segments of the piece, Lall urges President Ali to confront the government’s close links to “family and friends,” warning that the levels of cronyism and nepotism are ethically damaging. He suggests that if many of these relationships were publicly scrutinized, they would be scandalous enough to drive key legal figures into early retirement.
“What is known about most of them, if published, would make both the commissioner of police and chief justice think of early retirement.”
Assert the Presidency or Step Aside
Lall doesn’t mince words in his view that Ali must begin truly acting as president — not in title, but in authority. He offers a sarcastic suggestion to “create a new post” for Jagdeo as Roving Ambassador to North Korea and Pakistan — an indirect call to sideline the VP whose presence, he claims, diminishes the presidency.
Finally, Lall takes a personal yet symbolic jab, referencing Ali’s physical appearance upon entering office. “He entered office with a full head of hair and a full stomach. He must demonstrate that he still operates with a head full of sense.”
Conclusion
GHK Lall’s critique is both a warning and an appeal: that the President of Guyana has a moral obligation to rise above political puppetry, resist the influence of internal power brokers, and embrace the kind of leadership that Guyanese — particularly those enduring hardship — urgently need.
