Lall Challenges President Ali to Match Unity Rhetoric with Action

Social commentator GHK Lall has challenged President Irfaan Ali to translate his recent calls for national unity into concrete action, arguing that government policies and practices have instead deepened political and social divisions in Guyana.

In a commentary titled “Ali’s call for unity, my call to Pres Ali,” published in the wake of Guyana’s 60th Independence anniversary celebrations, Lall welcomed the President’s appeal for national cohesion but contended that genuine unity cannot be achieved through speeches alone.

“I hear President Ali on unity. Clap softly. More than hearing could follow. Spirited applauding flow steadily,” Lall wrote. “From his call for national unity, this is my humble call to him.”

President Ali, in his Independence message and public engagements surrounding the anniversary observances, urged Guyanese to embrace unity and work collectively toward national development under the government’s “One Guyana” vision.

However, Lall argued that such appeals ring hollow when they are not supported by government action.

“Presidential pontificating at select moments about unity is an opening,” he wrote. “Policies and practices must harmonize consistently. Speeches backed by policies that inspire unity. Policies reinforced by practices. They haven’t.”

A central criticism in Lall’s commentary was the continued absence of parliamentary sittings. The National Assembly has not met since the passage of the 2026 national budget in February, a situation that has drawn criticism from opposition parties, civil society voices and political commentators who argue that the prolonged recess undermines parliamentary oversight and democratic accountability.

Lall maintained that the suspension of parliamentary activity has effectively disenfranchised opposition supporters.

“The votes and visions of Guyanese who thought less of the PPP have been thwarted, sabotaged, derailed, and denied,” he wrote. “When Guyanese who voted for the PNC and WIN absorb the lockdown of parliament that’s not conducive to unity.”

He further suggested that responsibility for the parliamentary impasse ultimately rests with the Executive.

“The Hon Speaker didn’t falter. He followed orders. The source is in the presidency,” Lall stated.

The commentator also accused the government of tolerating racial division while promoting a public narrative of inclusion.

“But how Mr. President, when in the Office of the President itself, there are racists and demagogues who still ply their trades?” he asked. “Amid such an audible, tangible horror, calling for national unity, Mr. Ali, is mocking the peace of honest and harmonious-minded Guyanese.”

Lall was equally critical of what he described as symbolic displays of inclusivity. He argued that some individuals showcased by the administration as examples of cross-community representation lack credibility and legitimacy within their own constituencies.

“When Pres Ali presents faces different from the PPP base, and holds some of those as examples of inclusion, he inflicts on himself and nation an unhealable wrong,” he wrote. “Those faces are dismissed as representing nothing and no one. They horrify, not unify.”

The commentary also focused heavily on economic disparities. While the government has defended a range of cash grants and social assistance programmes as measures designed to share the benefits of Guyana’s oil wealth, Lall contended that many citizens continue to struggle with high living costs while politically connected interests prosper.

“Celebrating $100,000 in cash to strapped and lashed Guyanese is not helpful to unity,” he wrote. “When dependent Guyanese collect $100,000 by check, they know how PPP family, PPP favoured, and PPP already full-to-overflowing are collecting, grabbing, and banking $100 million in comparison.”

Lall further alleged that state institutions are being used to shield wrongdoing and target government critics.

“Pres Ali ought to know that when the police and press are weaponised against those perceived to be anti-PPP, then he himself assumes the stature of the greatest enemy of national unity,” he wrote.

He also referenced what he described as unequal development across communities, arguing that selective infrastructure investment undermines social cohesion.

“When one village is bypassed for infrastructure improvements, while another is built-up and brightened, calling for unity is a joke best left unspoken,” Lall stated.

Despite his criticism, the commentator ended on a conciliatory note, expressing hope that the President would use the Independence anniversary as an opportunity to change course.

“In sum, the scattered and seething pieces are there for Pres Ali to change course and knit together, hold together, and inspire to move forward together,” he wrote. “He can start now.”

Lall concluded with a message of goodwill to the President and the nation, saying: “May national unity cease to be elusive. May genuine commitment to national unity infuse and suffuse.”