Guyanese must wake up. The time has come for citizens to reclaim their voice—not for the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration, not for the opposition, and not for any politician, but for themselves, their country and generations yet unborn.
This is about more than Essequibo. Guyanese must stand firmly against every attempt to undermine the nation’s territorial integrity or surrender its birthright. Essequibo is not the property of any political party. It belongs to Guyana and its people.
But sovereignty does not end at the country’s borders. It also means that citizens must have a meaningful voice in decisions that shape their lives and their country’s future. Too many consequential decisions are being presented to the public only after they have effectively been made. Citizens should not have to learn about major commitments entered into in their name after the fact.
The recently finalised Guyana-US migration cooperation framework is a case in point. Under the arrangement, Guyanese are told after the fact that Guyana has agreed to temporarily receive a limited number of vetted, non-criminal third-country nationals deported from the United States. Six people—four Cubans and two Afghans—have already arrived. The Government says the arrangement is temporary and voluntary and is supported by the International Organisation for Migration! Those assurances do not remove the public’s right to ask questions.
Guyanese deserve to know when agreements affecting the country are being negotiated, what commitments are being made in their name, what safeguards exist and who is ultimately accountable for the decisions. Public accountability should not begin after the first deportation flight lands.
Nor should citizens accept a political culture in which criticism is treated as disloyalty, political opponents are targeted by State institutions, or ordinary people become afraid to speak out.
The police do not belong to the PPP. They belong to Guyana. The State does not belong to any political party. Neither do Parliament, the public service, the judiciary or the nation’s resources.
So what should citizens do?
Demand answers—and do it peacefully, collectively and persistently.
Have public meetings. Hold protests. Write MPs and ministers. Demand that major agreements be disclosed and subjected to meaningful public scrutiny. Attend parliamentary proceedings. Support credible journalism and independent civil society investigations. Document alleged abuses and report them through lawful channels. Where appropriate, challenge questionable decisions through the courts.
Citizens should also build and strengthen independent community and civic organisations capable of monitoring government promises, tracking public spending, scrutinising legislation and demanding explanations from those entrusted with public office. In this Information Age resources and access are limitless. Utilise them.
When laws are proposed that could restrict the ability of opposition politicians, journalists, civil society organisations or ordinary citizens to speak and hold government accountable, read them, understand them, debate them and make your position known.
Do not wait until a right has been taken away to discover its value.
This is not a call for violence or disorder. It is a call for disciplined, peaceful and sustained civic action.
Political allegiance must never determine whether a principle is defended. What is wrong when done to a PPP critic is wrong when done to a A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), Forward Guyana Movement(FGM) supporter or any other citizen.
Democracy cannot be selective. The PPP may have won an election. It did not win ownership of Guyana. Guyanese are not subjects. They are citizens. Their sovereignty is not simply the land within the nation’s borders. It is also their stake in the institutions, resources and decisions that determine their future.
That means citizens cannot outsource their democratic responsibilities to politicians and then complain when politicians make decisions without them.
Speak. Organise. Question. Document. Demand answers. Use every lawful democratic avenue available. The country belongs to its people. Now they must make their voices impossible to ignore.
