In a pointed and sardonic commentary, political observer and columnist GHK Lall has questioned the ruling People’s Progressive Party’s frantic campaigning ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections, asking why the party seems to be in panic mode if it has truly performed as well as its leaders claim.
Lall noted that the PPP’s response to any challenge or criticism is a well-rehearsed and often-repeated line: that the party has delivered more for Guyanese in the last five years than any government in history. “Look at how good the PPP Government has been to all Guyanese, look how well Guyanese have done in the last five years,” Lall mockingly paraphrased the party’s mantra.
“I offer no comment, other than, hear ye, hear ye. Let’s have a big hand for the PPP,” he wrote, adding that government officials and their defenders seem “bursting with pent-up energy to sell the gospel according to the government.”
However, Lall quickly pivoted to question the anxiety and urgency visible in the PPP’s behavior, particularly that of Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who he describes as looking “like a man who is on the run” and “a portrait of desperation.”
“Since the PPP… did so fantastically well, then somebody should explain to Guyanese voters, why they are all so tense, from leaders to ministers to propagandizers, as though grasping at straws, as if fighting for dear life,” he stated.
Lall suggested that, logically, a government that has been as successful and benevolent as it claims would have no reason to fear the competition—not from the opposition People’s National Congress (PNC), not from political newcomer Azruddin Mohamed, and certainly not from the other four small parties contesting the elections. “The elections are over. One massive walkover, a grand yawner of a no contest,” he wrote, dripping with irony.
Continuing his satirical tone, Lall wrote that given the alleged riches the PPP has delivered, “a father, or a mother, could turn to their neighbour… and celebrate how splendidly they have done. How much better off they are, solidly comfortable, and confident about the future.”
The sharpest jabs were reserved for the vice president. “Jagdeo should be all deep smiles… well-positioned to take a public bet with Norton or the Young Contender and bet each one $100 million… that he will beat them to a pulp,” Lall quipped. “That’s the swagger of a champion… not for himself and his cronies. But for Guyanese.”
His conclusion is a brutal piece of political satire. “In fact, if I were Bharrat Jagdeo, I wouldn’t campaign at all. Waste of time, money, and energy, since all the PPP’s inspiring actions can’t be denied, can’t be diminished, and will deliver overwhelming victory,” Lall wrote. “Note: not one hard or bad word said today against Jagdeo or the PPP. Blessings everyone.”
While cloaked in sarcasm, Lall’s piece strikes at the heart of the current political climate in Guyana: if the PPP’s track record is truly as untouchable as it claims, why the frantic campaigning, the domination of state media, and the relentless public relations machinery?
Lall’s words challenge voters and observers alike to look beyond the noise and question the confidence—or lack thereof—behind the ruling party’s actions.
