Dear Editor,
As the old saying goes, “when a blind man says he has a brick in his arm and will pelt you, you must believe him.”
At the PPP/C’s Stewartville Rally, held on Sunday, August 24, 2025, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo, in his usual style, issued a threat that if anyone dares to disrupt the elections on Monday, September 1, 2025, the army and police force will deal with them accordingly (Kaieteur News, Aug. 25, 2025). Such statements are not only irresponsible but also reflect a party in panic mode, resorting to intimidation rather than inspiration. What Mr. Jagdeo seems not to understand is that the people of Guyana, despite these threats, are clamouring for change.
Mr. Jagdeo knows very well what the “post-plan” looks like should the PPP/C not secure victory. We all recall the events of March 2020: the storming of the office of the Returning Officer at GECOM’s Ashmin’s building (Stabroek News, Mar. 2020); the storming of a school bus carrying students at Bath, West Coast Demerara; and the attacks on innocent persons, including police officers in Lusignan, East Coast Demerara, who were forced to seek refuge from gun-toting men (Kaieteur News, Apr. 2020). Are Mr. Jagdeo’s threats meant to remind us that what took place in 2020 can, and will, repeat itself? Guyanese do not wish to relive those dark days, memories that remain fresh and have left deep scars.
Unfortunately, Mr. Jagdeo has grown increasingly reckless, behaving as though he is the ruler of this nation and dictating tones and signals that others are expected to follow without question. I therefore call upon the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to uphold their constitutional mandate and professional principles, and to resist the bait set by politicians, especially Mr. Jagdeo and his cohorts (Constitution of Guyana, Art. 197A).
To my Guyanese brothers and sisters, I implore you not to fall victim to the tone set by Mr. Jagdeo. As we prepare to head to the polls on Monday, let us be vigilant, exercise wisdom, and keep our guard up. Desperation is evident in the utterances we are hearing, but this country belongs to all Guyanese; not a single individual.
Yours truly,
Annette Ferguson
