Billions Flow, Poverty Grows: Forde Says Oil Money Benefits Only PPP/C Insiders

In a blistering critique that reads more like an indictment than an op-ed, Roysdale Forde, Senior Counsel and Member of Parliament, has torched the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, branding it a “kleptocracy” drowning Guyana in corruption, inequality, and moral decay during an oil boom that should be transforming lives.

With Guyana raking in a staggering US$76.1 million per day from one of the largest oil discoveries of the 21^st century, Forde paints a stark picture of a nation not basking in prosperity, but sinking deeper into poverty, environmental ruin, and political patronage. The op-ed lays bare what Forde calls the “calculated plunder” of public resources by a regime he claims is enriching an elite few while the vast majority suffer in silence.

“This is not development,” Forde writes. “This is disguised exploitation, and it is being orchestrated from the top down.”

Oil Wealth, Empty Wallets

Despite Guyana being the fastest-growing economy in the Caribbean, more than 40% of its population still lives below the poverty line, a statistic Forde calls a damning indictment of failed leadership. According to him, while public servants struggle to survive, state contracts flow to political allies, friends, and family members, often without competitive bidding or transparency.

He singles out TEPUI Inc., a company linked to social media figure Mikhail Rodrigues (aka “Guyanese Critic”), which was awarded a GY $865 million (approx. US$4 million) pump station contract despite, according to Forde, having no public track record or financial credentials.

‘No experience. No equipment. No transparency. Yet, $865 million gone,’ Forde asserts.  He contends the situation isn’t just incompetence but institutionalised looting.”

Public Institutions Gutted, Oversight Neutered

Forde’s accusations don’t stop at financial mismanagement. He warns that democratic institutions have been gutted, while key oversight bodies like the Auditor General’s Office and the Public Procurement Commission are rendered toothless.

“These bodies must be given teeth, not reduced to rubber stamps,” he asserts, calling on international watchdogs and the Guyanese diaspora to “shine a bright light on what is happening.”

A System of Entrenchment, Not Opportunity

The op-ed also rebuts the recent comments by Komal Singh, the outgoing chairman of the Private Sector Commission, who claimed he could lift any Guyanese out of poverty “within six months.” Forde calls Singh’s statement “the most simplistic reasoning I have heard in a long time,” arguing that poverty alleviation is not about job vacancies, but about justice, fairness, and systemic reform.

If available jobs could lift people out of poverty, then why are our teachers, nurses, and police officers barely surviving? Forde asks.

Environmental Neglect and National Betrayal

In what he calls “a betrayal of both people and planet,” Forde lambasts the PPP/C’s failure to protect the environment, especially in the oil and gas sector. He accuses the regime of turning a blind eye to weak environmental regulations and abandoning rural and indigenous communities.

“Guyana is not just an oil frontier,” he warns, “It’s a battleground between public interest and private greed.”

A Call for Uprising—At the Ballot Box and Beyond

Forde ends his searing critique with a clarion call for national change, demanding:

• Transparent, competitive procurement;
• Living wages for public servants;
• Serious investment in health, education, and infrastructure;
• Environmental accountability;
• Real anti-corruption enforcement.

“For every hospital left unfinished, every teacher forced to strike, every child who goes to bed hungry—there is political blood on [the PPP/C’s] hands.”

The Verdict: Oil-Rich, Morally Bankrupt?

Forde’s op-ed is not just a political broadside—it is a call to action. As Guyana basks in an oil boom that could have rewritten its history, Forde argues the current regime has chosen personal enrichment over national upliftment, leaving a trail of disillusionment, decay, and distrust in its wake.

If his allegations prove even partially true, Guyana may not just be another case of resource mismanagement—it could become a textbook example of how oil riches, in the wrong hands, can accelerate a nation’s collapse.

The choice, Forde argues, is stark: “Continue the spiral of oil-fueled inequality, or demand a government where the nation’s wealth serves all, not a few.”