OP-ED: President Irfaan Ali and Minister Priya Manickchand have chosen to pay homage to former President Forbes Burnham by featuring their images on student textbooks

Among these reinvented policies is the 2009 Jagdeo Initiative on Food Security, which unfortunately failed. Yet, it was nothing more than a rehashed version of Burnham’s Feed, Clothe, and House program, which had been remarkably successful. Today, President Irfaan attempts a similar endeavor with his 25 x 2025 Initiative, echoing Burnham’s vision; that too will fail, not because the idea is not good, but rather because the PPP are always more interested in form rather than substance therefore they consistently fail to appropriately staff and fund these initiatives.  It is the announcement that matters to Irfaan Ali and the PPP not the achievement of the goal, and sadly they are rarely held accountable, so they persist.

But the mimicry doesn’t stop there. The PPP hesitates to alter the Burnham constitution, believing it secures the power they need to exert control over the people of Guyana. Their stance on rice flour exemplifies this inconsistency: from disdain to acceptance, they now promise a factory.

And then there’s the matter of those exercise books. While they once despised Burnham’s face gracing them, today they take it a step further—Irfaan and Priya’s faces are now permanently etched onto student textbooks. The duo believes that early exposure to their propaganda is essential. Yet, despite their efforts, more than half of Guyana’s children continue to struggle academically, as evidenced by NGSA, CSEC, and CAPE scores.

Priya and Irfaan have to boast of buildings and paltry cash grants and try to use psychology to brainwash the children of Guyana, but their academic track record speaks for itself. Additionally, while Priya flaunts her ostentatious wealth, she simultaneously demands that teachers accept meager salaries. Her professed love for students contrasts sharply with the reality of schools plagued by overgrown bushes, unsanitary toilets, sweltering classrooms, and a shortage of educators.  Perhaps the textbook images will serve as a stark reminder to students, parents, and teachers who these leaders are who bear responsibility for the challenging circumstances they endure daily.