In what was clearly an attempt to manufacture the illusion of mass support, the PPP bused in more than 100 coach loads of supporters from Berbice alone, only to squeeze them into the narrow confines of the Kitty Market area. The result was less of a political rally and more of a logistical stunt, designed for optics, not for genuine engagement.
Despite the crowd size, estimated at just around 5,000, the atmosphere was far from electric. The rally quickly devolved into a shouting contest, with each speaker trying to out-scream the last. MP Sonia Parag set the tone with shrill, slogan-heavy outbursts, and most who followed simply mimicked her style, mistaking volume for leadership.
To her credit, Minister Onidge Waldron stood apart, delivering the only coherent, issue-based address of the evening. It was a rare moment of clarity in a sea of empty rhetoric and political one-upmanship. Conspicuously missing from the podium were Charles Ramson and Priya Manickchand, once thought to be the future rising stars. Apparently Thandi McAllistair has been projected to the head of the line, judging from her priority appearance.
Prime Minister Mark Phillips appeared unprepared, stumbling through a contribution that lacked vision and depth. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, as expected, recycled the same talking points from his biweekly press conferences. And President Irfaan Ali? He opted for shouting over substance, boasting wildly about grand projects and future plans while conveniently ignoring the fact that not one major initiative under his administration has been completed on time, within budget, or free from scandal.
The tone turned downright distasteful when President Ali, clearly rattled by rising competition, unleashed his most vile attack on Azruddin Mohamed, calling him “classless” and once again trying to link him to Venezuela. “It was a US Congressman that sey suh,” Ali reminded the crowd, a desperate attempt to discredit a rising political force projected to peel away a significant share of the PPP’s support base.
In stark contrast, the coalition’s recent rally was far better organized, the messaging was tighter, and the speakers, led by Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, delivered substance. In any head-to-head comparison, Ali came off flustered, insecure, and short on vision, while Norton exuded discipline and resolve.
The images from the event told the story best, supporters sweating in the heat, many looking bored or disinterested, some walking away mid-speech. It was a rally fueled by mobilization, not motivation.
The people of Guyana deserve better, not theatrics masquerading as leadership, not noise instead of policy, and certainly not a government that mistakes stage management for popular support.
