In a political twist that many observers are calling both baffling and bleak, the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress (PNC) have signaled their intentions to contest the upcoming General and Regional Elections separately. Last week the AFC announced it has left the coalition talks. The move, described by political commentator GHK Lall as “suicide mission number one” and “number two,” has sparked waves of disbelief and criticism, even within the parties’ own ranks.
According to Lall, both opposition parties are marching toward political oblivion, ignoring internal polling that reportedly shows their electoral chances are dim, unless they unite. “Apart, the AFC and PNC don’t stand el diablo’s chance in heaven,” he bluntly states, suggesting that their solo bids are destined for failure, with victory only remotely possible if they present a united front.
But beyond the surface-level electoral calculus, Lall’s critique delves deeper, exposing what he calls a “racket” by the major political parties—AFC, PNC, and the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP). “In sum, Guyanese have no one and nothing going for them. Amid all the talk about coalescing and winning, it was all a genuine farce, with Guyanese taken for a ride,” he writes, accusing all three of prioritising optics and hollow promises over real groundwork and public service.
His frustration is especially directed at the lack of visible campaign activity by the AFC and PNC. Claims of “behind the scenes” work are, in his view, laughable. “Whoever knows of a high-stakes political campaign run in the shadows of some imaginary underground… drop me the blueprint,” he mocks.
Lall’s harshest criticism isn’t reserved for party strategy, it’s for what he sees as the complete surrender of Guyanese sovereignty to ExxonMobil and, by extension, the United States. government. In his scathing analysis, Exxon has secured not just economic concessions, but the loyalty of the country’s entire political class.
“The PPP, PNC, and AFC, all stuffed snugly into a Walmart shopping bag,” he writes, using vivid imagery to describe what he sees as wholesale political capitulation. “The easiest and cheapest and neatest way to win a war is get the generals of the other side eating out of one’s hand.”
In Lall’s view, Exxon has outmaneuvered Guyana’s leadership at every turn, reaping immense profits while the citizens are left uninformed and disempowered. The upcoming elections, he argues, are less about democracy and more about ensuring a favourable business climate for American interests.
His conclusion is grim: “Guyanese have no one and nothing going for them.” The 2025 elections, he suggests, are a charade, one in which the outcome is predetermined, and the true beneficiaries are not the people, but ExxonMobil and its geopolitical backers.
Whether or not voters agree with Lall’s bleak assessment, one thing is clear: faith in Guyana’s political institutions continues to erode. And with both major opposition parties now pledging to fight alone, many wonder not just who will win in 2025—but whether it will matter at all.
Winner? According to Lall: PPP. Backed by Exxon. Greenlit by America, with the AFC and PNC also behind it. Losers? The Guyanese people. Again.
Read the Op-Ed here
