By Roysdale Forde S.C- In the turbulent waters of Guyana’s political landscape, where the tides of power shift with the fortunes of oil and the whims of entrenched elites, the collective opposition stands at a crossroads. As we navigate the aftermath of the September 1, 2025, General and Regional Elections – marred by allegations of manipulation and voter disenfranchisement – my advice to our fractured yet resilient coalition is unequivocal: refuse to have any conversation with weakness.
We must honour our obligations and responsibilities to the people, those steadfast citizens who entrust us with their hopes for a just and equitable nation. To engage in dialogues born of timidity or compromise is to betray the very essence of our struggle. Instead, let us forge ahead with unyielding resolve, transforming defeat into a catalyst for renewal.
The instant challenges facing Guyana’s opposition are profound and multifaceted, demanding not mere rhetoric but a profound introspection. The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government, under President Irfaan Ali, has consolidated power amid an unprecedented oil boom, wielding vast revenues from ExxonMobil’s offshore discoveries to fund populist measures like cash grants – thinly veiled electoral bribes that I have publicly decried as manipulative ploys. Yet, our opposition – comprising the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), the Alliance for Change (AFC), and emerging voices – grapples with internal disarray.
Again, as reports from international observers, including the Carter Center and the European Union Election Observation Mission, highlighted irregularities in polling and tabulation, we now face the specter of a government emboldened to marginalise dissent.
Moreover, the opposition contends with systemic barriers: media outlets swayed by state advertising, and an economy where oil wealth exacerbates inequality. Indigenous communities in the hinterland decry environmental degradation from unchecked extraction, while urban workers lament stagnant wages amid soaring costs. Venezuela’s lingering territorial claims over the Essequibo region add geopolitical tension, with the government’s handling criticised for prioritising foreign alliances over national sovereignty.
These challenges are not abstract; they manifest in the daily struggles of Guyanese families, from the rice farmers in Berbice to the miners in the interior, who demand accountability for the Natural Resource Fund (NRF) – a sovereign wealth pot riddled with opacity. The opposition’s perceived failure to present a cohesive economic policy during the campaign allowed the PPP/C to dominate the narrative, portraying us as obstructionists rather than visionaries.
Still, it is precisely in these trials that the importance of courage and will becomes paramount. Courage is not the reckless charge of the foolhardy but the deliberate stand against injustice, even when the odds seem insurmountable. As the revered South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela once proclaimed, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” Mandela’s words resonate deeply in our context.
The opposition must conquer the fear of fragmentation, the dread of reprisal from a vindictive regime that has weaponised state institutions against critics. We have seen colleagues harassed, investigations launched on spurious grounds, and public servants coerced into silence. To overcome, we need the courage to convene, not as rivals but as patriots, forging a shadow cabinet that mirrors the diversity of Guyana – bridging Africans East Indian, Amerindian, Portuguese, European and mixed-heritage Guyanese voices in a common front.
Equally vital is the indomitable will to persist, a quality that transforms adversity into strength. Mahatma Gandhi, the father of India’s independence movement and a global beacon of nonviolent resistance, encapsulated this when he stated, “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” Gandhi’s philosophy urges us to reject the weakness of complacency.
In Guyana, this means refusing backroom deals that dilute our principles, such as tacitly accepting flawed electoral reforms or overlooking corruption scandals like the mismanagement of COVID-19 funds or the controversial carbon credit deals. Our will must manifest in parliamentary oversight, street-level mobilisation, and international advocacy – pressing bodies like the Organisation of American States to scrutinize the 2025 polls’ integrity. Without this will, we risk becoming a perpetual minority, complicit in the erosion of democracy.
Honouring our obligations to the people demands more than platitudes; it requires action. The electorate did not grant the PPP/C a mandate for unchecked dominance but a stewardship of resources for all. We, the opposition, are the guardians of that trust. By refusing conversations with weakness – be it internal doubt or external coercion – we reaffirm our commitment to transparency, equity, and rule of law. Imagine a Guyana where oil revenues fund universal healthcare, not elite enclaves; where education bridges divides, not perpetuates them; where justice is blind to ethnicity or party affiliation.
In closing, let us draw inspiration from history’s victors who turned setbacks into surges. The 2020 electoral saga, with its protracted recount and international intervention, proved that persistence yields progress. Today, post-2025, we must rally with the same fervour. To my fellow opposition leaders and supporters: summon the courage to unite, harness the will to endure, and never waver in our duty. The people of Guyana deserve no less. In this crucible, we shall emerge not diminished, but forged anew – a force for genuine change in our beloved nation.
