Hold Strong Region 10, Stay The Course! Better Must Come!- Sears

By Devin Sears-The People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) is fresh off the high of what it claims was the largest political rally in Linden, held on Sunday, August 3rd, 2025, in what has traditionally been a stronghold of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR). But this hype is riddled with a fake narrative that residents of Region #10 support President Ali’s bid for a second term.

The truth is that the majority of attendees were transported into the mining town to create this illusion of support. At the rally, as expected, defectors were paraded like lipstick on a pig at a cheap auction, poked and prodded to deliver loud screeches with the promise of a meal.

Let me remind the proud residents of Region #10 of some hard facts:
The PPP/C has been in government for 28 years, 23 before 2015, and 5 since 2020. Their legacy in Linden leaves much to be desired. They have shown limited support for proposed projects and repeatedly undermined local governance.

For years, they refused to return full control of the Wismar/Mackenzie Bridge: a potential revenue earner that could have helped the Linden Mayor and Town Council clear debts, expand their vehicle fleet for better waste management, and more. Instead, most of the profits went to NICIL and ultimately to the Government’s coffers.

The PPP/C ignored calls for a $200 million bailout, which is still owed to the light companies, the Guyana Revenue Authority, and the National Insurance Scheme. These debts continue to burden the Council today. The Council also lobbied for a revaluation of commercial and residential properties, which are still taxed based on over 30-year-old rates. The boundaries of the township also need expansion, which would bring over 10,000 additional households under the Council’s jurisdiction and improve access to services. All of these efforts were ignored by the PPP/C.

For 28 years, the PPP/C encouraged multi-billion-dollar investments in central Georgetown and along the coast, shore bases, hotel chains, new road networks, expanded housing schemes while Linden suffocated without fresh investments and continued to struggle with unemployment. Their attempt to bypass Linden entirely in the initial design of the Lethem Highway, which would have economically crippled the town, was only reversed thanks to the Coalition government.

Even now, traders and gold miners bypass Linden daily, traveling via the 94 and 72 bus routes to Georgetown, ignoring trade potential in the town and surrounding communities.

The Alliance For Change is committed to solving these issues through the establishment of a National Transportation Agency and modern bus terminals in every region.

Linden has always been a proud, resilient people who believe in fairness and equal opportunity. But under the PPP/C, peaceful protests were met with aggression. When Lindeners protested the proposed electricity tariff hike which would have crippled all household police were ordered to fire live rounds, injuring dozens and killing three of our brothers.

In 2025, history repeated itself with the unjust murders of Ronaldo Peters and Dan Johnson. These are not isolated incidents. They reflect a government that continues to fail our youth and shows no remorse for Region #10.Let’s also remember that none of the transformational projects currently in Region #10 are funded by the PPP/C alone. All were initiated by the previous Coalition government and are mainly supported by international financing:

Linden–Lethem Highway
Phase one (Linden to Mabura Hill, 121 km) began in May 2022 under a US $190 million contract (approx. GYD 32.4 billion), funded by:
• Caribbean Development Bank (US $112M loan)
• UK via CDB (US $66M grant)
• Government of Guyana (US $12M)
Originally due by mid-2025, the deadline was extended to October 29, 2025 due to delays. As of early 2025, only about 33% was completed (30 km of wearing course, 43 km of binder).

Funded by the Islamic Development Bank under a US $35 million contract, awarded in January 2024 to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited (CRCC). The 220-metre, four-lane bridge includes sidewalks and lighting. As of January 2025, it was 31% completed. Though originally scheduled for April 2026, an ambitious internal deadline of October 2025 was set though delays remain possible.

In August 2024, a US $161 million contract was signed with Namalco Construction Services Ltd (Trinidad) and GuyAmerica Construction Inc. Funded by the Islamic Development Bank, this is the first major IsDB-funded road project in Guyana. Completion is expected by September 2026, but only 18% of work has been completed six months in, posing a risk of further delays.

And these are just the major projects. Consider also the setbacks in:

• The Linden Synthetic Track,
• The Mackenzie Sports Club Ground,
• The controversial Bamia Primary School,
• And the dormitory at the Linden Technical Institute.Even the few road contracts given to first-time or small contractors should not be seen as favors these are rights owed to the region by the State. Why did these contracts only begin in late 2024, just ahead of elections? Where were these opportunities during the first four years, when billions in Urban Development funds were handed out to favored contractors in PPP strongholds?

This is election gimmickry, nothing more.

No matter how they rebrand or fake inclusivity, the PPP/C has never shown true care for Region #10. This region, the heart of Guyana, is part of the opposition’s legacy, and the PPP/C is determined to erase it.

I am appealing to my fellow residents of Region #10: stay the course. Support a party that has always stood by your side through thick and thin.
Region 10 is proud, resilient, and full of potential.

What we need now is leadership that understands our struggles, respects our strength, and believes in our future.

That leader is Nigel Hughes.

That party is the Alliance For Change (AFC).

Nigel Hughes brings bold vision, fearless leadership, and a deep commitment to justice, equity, and prosperity for all Guyanese especially the people of Region #10.

• In 2012, when our brothers were gunned down for demanding better, Nigel Hughes stood with us.
• In 2025, when Ronaldo Peters and Dan Johnson were murdered, Nigel Hughes stood with us again not for votes, but because justice matters.NIGEL STOOD WITH US. NOW WE MUST STAND WITH HIM. VOTE FOR HIM AS PRESIDENT.
VOTE FOR THE KEY!

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About the author

Devin Sears was an Alliance For Change (AFC) Member of Parliament (2020-2025) and is a candidate for the 2025 Elections