The Guyana Constitution is not our problem. Our problem is the absence of political will, compounded by visionless leadership and a dangerous willingness to compromise the rule of law for convenience, power, and expediency. This failure continues to shut large sections of society out of meaningful participation in the nation’s development—a right enshrined in the Constitution, not subject to the so-called ‘kindness’ or discretion of others.
Article 13, the “principal objective of the political system,” mandates an “inclusionary democracy.” It was assented to more than a quarter century ago by President Bharrat Jagdeo, following a valiant struggle led by former President and then Leader of the Opposition Desmond Hoyte. That struggle was fought to secure shared governance and a seat at the table for all Guyanese. Article 13 is indigenous to our nation, borne from our history, sacrifices, and aspirations.
Yet over twenty-five years later, no comprehensive legislation exists to give it life. Power has not been meaningfully devolved to regional and local government organs, and inclusion remains rhetoric, not reality. No legislator can point to meaningful work done to implement Article 13. Where the regime fails, the opposition must provide leadership, for clearly it is not in the regime’s interest to further the well-being of all.
The Constitution is a living instrument, grounded in United Nations (UN) declarations, International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions, and other internationally accepted norms. It guarantees basic rights, equality, participation, and dignity. Guyana’s social, economic, and political failures are not caused by the Constitution; they are caused by the refusal to implement it.
A constitution’s declarations require enabling laws and faithful execution to take effect. The failure lies in the Legislature, the Executive, in civil society, and, regrettably, even among some trade union leaders. We speak about injustice and inequality but too often ignore the supreme law that already provides the framework to address them. The double standard must stop. You cannot violate the law to uphold the law, nor trample just laws and claim to be defenders of justice. Just laws are sacrosanct. Selective obedience destroys the foundation we claim to defend.
Instead of implementing the Constitution, many advocate changing it, using foreign constitutions as benchmarks while ignoring that Article 13 was crafted for Guyana. Its dormancy is not a constitutional failure—it is a failure of political will.
The trade union movement must again confront its responsibility. It laid the groundwork for internal self-government, insisting on accountability, equality, and justice without exception. Trade unionists must set the example, holding all to the same standards, bar none, and refusing to excuse illegality, even when politically convenient.
For decades, calls by the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and others for an inclusive national approach to prepare Guyanese for productive engagement in the oil and non-oil sectors were ignored. Political immaturity continues to hold the nation hostage. Today, Guyana faces a crisis of governance. Leaders confuse development with domination, marginalise rather than include, discriminate rather than unite, and treat state resources as handouts for family, friends, and political cohorts.
Nowhere in the Constitution is there language that excludes any ethnic group, denies participation, or prevents citizens from involvement in decision-making. The dysfunction, mistrust, and division we see are not constitutional failures. They are failures of political will to treat all with fairness, dignity, and respect.
Shared governance, national unity, and inclusive government already exist in the Constitution. The task before us is not reinvention but implementation. We, the people, and especially the trade union movement, must insist on obedience to just laws and hold political operatives accountable.
The Constitution is not our problem. Our unwillingness to honour it is.
