The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) has rejected an invitation from President Irfaan Ali for members of two parliamentary committees to meet with him, accusing the Executive of bypassing the constitutional office of the Leader of the Opposition and treating Parliament as though it were an extension of Government.
In a strongly worded statement issued Tuesday, September 15, 2026, the Office of the Leader of the Opposition said the President’s attempt to engage members of the Foreign Relations Committee and Economic Services Committee, without first establishing meaningful engagement with Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, represents a troubling development for Guyana’s democratic institutions.
WIN said Members of Parliament are elected to represent the people through their political parties, while Opposition MPs operate collectively under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition, a constitutional office intended to provide oversight and accountability to the Executive.
The party said the President’s approach raises the question of whether the Executive is deliberately attempting to sidestep that constitutional relationship.
“The President’s decision to bypass genuine engagement with the Leader of the Opposition and instead seek to engage individual parliamentary committees raises serious concern that this is an attempt to avoid meaningful engagement with the constitutional office and the person who holds it.”
The Opposition also took issue with the absence of basic information surrounding the proposed meeting. According to WIN, invitations were sent to members of the two committees without an agenda or indication of the matters President Ali intended to discuss.
That omission, the party said, is particularly significant because parliamentary committees are organs of Parliament—not departments operating under the President.
“These are parliamentary committees, not departments of the Executive.”
WIN said it sought clarification from the Speaker of the National Assembly, including an agenda or explanation of the meeting’s purpose, but received no meaningful response. The party consequently concluded that its MPs should not participate.
‘Parliament is not an arm of the Executive’
The refusal comes against an increasingly tense political backdrop, with the Opposition raising concerns about the treatment of its members and supporters by state authorities.
WIN said its decision was also informed by what it described as the detention of Opposition supporters, the seizure of phones and vehicles and degrading treatment of persons while in state custody.
The party made a particularly serious allegation concerning three young men who were detained.
“The three young men detained by the authorities were made to remain in a state of undress in a cell with other men; this constitutes a serious violation of human dignity and raises grave human rights concerns.”
WIN said such allegations cannot simply be separated from the broader question of relations between the Government and Opposition.
“We cannot ignore these developments and then participate as though normal institutional relations exist.”
The statement comes as Mohamed has emerged as a more vocal challenger to the PPP/C administration, publicly questioning Government decisions and raising allegations concerning governance, public spending and the accumulation of wealth by senior political figures and their associates.
WIN said it respects the presidency but does not accept that respect for the President requires the Opposition to surrender Parliament’s constitutional independence.
“The Office of the Leader of the Opposition respects the Office of the President. However, respect for that constitutional office does not require the Opposition to disregard the constitutional role of Parliament or the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.”
The party nevertheless said it remains prepared to engage the Executive where the process is transparent and respects Guyana’s democratic institutions.
Its central message was blunt:
“The President is not the state. The Executive is not Parliament. And the Opposition is not the enemy of Guyana.”
WIN argued that democracy cannot be reduced to elections every five years. It said democratic government also requires respect for Parliament, political opposition, human dignity and the right of citizens to disagree with those in power without fear.
The party’s closing warning underscored the seriousness of its position:
“We will not participate in the normalization of conduct that undermines those principles.”
