“Vote Out Corruption or Condemn Our Children to Poverty”- Senior Counsel Forde

Shadow Attorney General, Roysdale Forde S.C. is urging Guyanese to “choose wisely” on September 1, warning that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government has entrenched corruption so deeply that the future of the next generation is at risk. Guyana goes to the polls for General and Regional Elections, constitutionally due every five years. Members of the Disciplined Services, as customary, vote a week ahead. In this election cycle voting will happen on Monday, August 22.

In a searing commentary, the senior counsel said the Irfaan Ali administration has “ensnared Guyana in a quagmire of systemic corruption, eroding the foundations of prosperity, sustainable development, and equitable governance.” Unless voters act decisively, he cautioned, children will inherit “a legacy of poverty and broken promises.”

Forde pointed to international benchmarks that paint a grim picture: Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index ranked Guyana 85th of 180 countries, with a score below the global average. Meanwhile, UNDP data shows 43.4% of Guyanese still live below the international poverty line, with rural communities disproportionately affected.

“These numbers are not just statistics,” Forde argued. “They are the lived reality of families across Guyana who have been denied the benefits of the nation’s oil wealth.”

He accused the PPP/C of presiding over five years “marred by scandal and impunity,” citing:

• Oil and gas opacity, including questionable ExxonMobil deals and sweetheart tax concessions.

• The Kingston Waterfront project, mired in inflated costs and insider contracts.

• The Belle Vue Pump Station, where $1.7 billion was disbursed but less than 10% of the work delivered.

• Oil-for-infrastructure schemes riddled with kickback allegations.

• Procurement abuse, with rigged tenders and partisan favoritism.

• And the UN Human Rights Committee’s rebuke for failing to investigate corruption allegations against senior officials, including the Vice President.

“These scandals are not isolated,” Forde stressed. “They are the hallmark of a culture of impunity that thrives under PPP/C rule.”

He quoted U.S. Justice Louis Brandeis’s warning that when governments become lawbreakers, they breed contempt for law and invite anarchy. And, echoing Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa, he added: “The fight against corruption is a fight for the soul of a nation.”

Forde blasted the government for using oil wealth “as a tool for patronage and profiteering” while handing citizens only “$200,000 in cash grants and transportation allowance per year” — a pittance compared to billions in national revenue.

As solutions, he called for urgent reforms: a fully independent anti-corruption commission, transparent oil revenue management, procurement reform, protection for journalists and whistleblowers, and judicial independence through the substantive appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice.

“These reforms are not optional,” he insisted. “They are essential to restore trust, deliver justice, and secure a future where prosperity is shared by all.”

Forde ended with a direct appeal to voters:

“The choice before Guyana is straightforward but critical: [continue] with a cycle of corruption that impoverishes our children, or forge a new path rooted in justice and accountability. For the sake of our children, the soul of our nation, and the promise of a prosperous Guyana, we must vote for change. The choice is ours. We must make it wisely.”