By Roysdale Forde S.C.-In a functioning democracy, promotions within our law enforcement agencies should stand as a testament to merit, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to public safety. However, as Guyana moves swiftly toward the September 1 general and regional elections, President Irfaan Ali and his People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) regime have plunged to new dimension of moral bankruptcy.
The sudden announcement of nearly 2,000 promotions within the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is not a celebration of service but a grotesque political ploy, under the guise of benevolence, designed to manipulate voters and polish a badly tarnished administration.
Let us be unequivocal: the officers receiving these promotions are deserving. For years, many have served with unparalleled dedication, risking their lives to protect our communities while enduring systemic neglect in very harsh work conditions, under this very government. Therefore, these promotions are not gifts from a magnanimous president.
On the contrary, they are long-overdue recognitions of sacrifice, earned through sweat, blood, and unrelenting duty. But instead of honoring these officers with the dignity of a transparent, merit-based process, the PPP/C has hijacked their moment of triumph, turning it into a crass electioneering spectacle. They are unimaginably shameless.
The evidence of this shameless manipulation is undeniable. A deluge of orchestrated social media posts, with officers heaping praise on President Ali, has flooded the digital sphere. The timing is no coincidence. Why now, mere weeks before the electorate casts its ballots?
Why the sudden, choreographed outpouring of gratitude for a government that has consistently undermined the independence and morale of our security services? This is not governance; it is a calculated assault on the integrity of our institutions, a desperate bid to prop up a regime teetering on the edge of public disapproval.
The PPP/C’s cynicism knows no bounds. By exploiting the genuine pride of these officers, the government reveals its true thinking of our men and women in uniform. They view the men and women of the GPF not as guardians of the law but as pawns in a political chess game. Many of these officers, in private, express outrage at being coerced into public displays of gratitude for promotions they earned through decades of service.
Let us understand that, President Ali did not bestow these ranks as an act of charity; they were entitlements, deliberately delayed by a government now weaponising them to sway an election. This is not leadership; it is exploitation, pure and simple.
Again, we must not forget the wider context. For years, the PPP/C has presided over a police force plagued by institutional stagnation, political interference, and chronic demoralisation. Officers have been sidelined, under-resourced, and ignored, their pleas for reform drowned out by the regime’s indifference.
But now, as the election looms, this same administration miraculously discovers a newfound passion for the welfare of our police force? The hypocrisy is staggering. This is not about justice or service. It is about votes, a naked attempt to buy loyalty with promotions that should have been granted years ago.
The Guyanese people must see through this charade. The PPP/C’s sudden affection for our police officers is not a gesture of goodwill; it is a calculated act of political bribery, dressed up as state policy. Frankly, it insults the intelligence of every citizen who values the rule of law over the whims of power-hungry politicians.
The promoted officers deserve better than to be reduced to props in Ali’s electoral theater. Their service speaks louder than any coerced social media post, and their loyalty belongs to the people of Guyana, not to a president who has spent years denying them their due.
To the ranks of the Guyana Police Force: you must know that your promotions are yours by right, not by the grace of a manipulative regime. You owe no allegiance to a government that has treated you as an afterthought until the ballots were in sight. Continue to serve with honor, upholding the rule of law, not the fleeting agendas of politicians.
The PPP/C must know that come September 1, the people of Guyana will have their say. They will not be swayed by this disgraceful stunt. They will remember who truly serves them as against those who merely pretends to when votes are at stake. The PPP/C’s desperation has revealed its core priorities: power over principle, manipulation over merit. Let us hold them accountable at the polls and demand a government that respects our institutions, our officers, and our democracy.
