There’s something deeply broken about the way we vote in Guyana.
It’s as if we’ve forgotten that the power in a democracy lies not with the politicians, but with the people. We act like prisoners of the PPP government, bowing our heads, biting our tongues, and living in fear of a regime that thrives on control. Too many of us have been trained, by schools, by systems, by tradition, to sit still, take orders, and not ask questions. But that docility is killing our future.
Every five years, we get the chance to hit reset. And yet, we keep handing our power over to the very people responsible for the chaos we’re living in.
Guyanese voters especially youths, need to understand, it is your vote that gave this government its power, and it is your vote that can take it away. The oil money gushing from our shores belongs to all of us, not just a cabal of well-connected families. But you wouldn’t know that by looking around. Half of our population can’t afford meat consistently. In one of the wealthiest per capita countries in the hemisphere, children go to school hungry. That’s not progress. That’s exploitation.
Worse, too many of our peers, especially young women, are being coerced, sexually harassed, and forced to trade dignity for opportunity. Too many of us are being told that unless we publicly show loyalty to the ruling party, we don’t deserve a license, a contract, or even a loan to start a business. This isn’t democracy. It’s feudalism dressed in red jerseys.
We’ve been conditioned to wait, wait for instructions, wait for permission, wait for our turn. But no one’s coming to save us. No one’s handing over power. We must take it, through our voices, through our organizing, and through the ballot box.
Please pay attention to who you support. The PPP has not shied away from brutality. History reminds us that this government has, very often, resorted to extrajudicial killings to maintain its grip on power. That kind of violence is meant to terrorize communities into silence. And to some extent, it’s worked. But living in fear is not living at all. Are these really the people we want leading us?
We, especially the youth, must snap out of this stupor. We are the future of Guyana, and we have every right to demand more. Demand transparency. Demand accountability. Demand equity.
And if those in power refuse to listen, then we must vote them out. Again and again and again until they do.
It is time to stop acting powerless in a country where the power has always belonged to the people.
