Garbage is now the short cut to political relevance.
It cuts jaggedly cross raw emotions and political defeat which are fixtures on Guyana’s governmental landscape.
The new- found ‘Clean Up Spirit’ contest in Georgetown, which descended from Garden City to Garbage City as the current contenders watched, is the prevailing series in the competition.
Eager to show that they can put their mouth where the garbage is, politicians are overleaping themselves to secure ground, literally.
It’s a political blood sport, the kind that suddenly realizes that their constituents’ closest neighbors are garbage piles and stray animals. So, cameras have to be summoned to record their stab at convenient benevolence, typically reserved for these, the lesser amongst them, just happy to be remembered at last, if not for once.
Hostility, of course, has begun, with the initial cleaners being jostled by counter- cleaners, vying for denser garbage pits, in a pathetic game of follow the leader.
Imitating political opponents confirms a deficiency in crucial organizational elements- fundamentally, a strategic plan necessary for executing actions in service to voters.
And like every unsolicited surge of outreach, we’re thinking, there’s a deeper back story, especially, with the territorial protectionism that’s now the politicians’ mission.
Questioning the sudden compassion of both traditional Parties invoked the typical polarization.
As one complainant submitted, “it’s about who’s handling the oil money” – with loads of vexation for our opinion which is seen as “side-stepping the issue” of “the PPP is squandering oil wealth and depleting the sovereign fund, which will have serious implications for future generations”.
The perennial politics of blame coming from a demolished entity questions the existence of its brand, its message and ultimately, its ideology.
The calamity is that the ‘apparent (used gratuitously)absence of these three critical elements has poured into the Opposing body politic that is maimed from its recent election contest and embittered by the result that has relegated its national political standing to the fence line of Parliament.
We’ve never subscribed — to the chagrin of those who blame us for not doing so — to highlighting what the ruling Party is doing.
Our position will always be that of asking what is the Party, that has solicited and won our support/vote, doing as counteroffensive to the strategy of its opponent.
If its intent is to inflame and energize negative sentiment, then that’s no strategy on a political field that is inherently divisive. After the finger-pointing and the name calling then what?
We asked why there was not the same intensity and desire to control the other natural resources, which molded the country and its GDP, in the decades prior to oil.
The new found interest, we were told, is predicated upon – and we’ll paraphrase “the world knows Guyana as the fastest growing economy….nobody ever called Guyana that because of sugar, rice, bauxite, gold, diamonds”
Lots of revelations here.
Being this flippant about Bauxite, when Guyana was a leading producer, of the higher grade calcined- high alumina low impurity- bauxite, per US State Dept, attests to either a limited or totally forgotten knowledge of the country’s rank in this export. Similarly, Sugar and Rice, staples of our agrarian economy 1960’s through 1980’s, secured top export positions for the country’s competitively higher quality of these products.
The value of natural capital, including all resources, has not been shared enough for informed civic engagement and participation in understanding how natural resource spending trickles down to the citizens, we’re thinking.
It’s more than just the ‘oil money’ that politicians are duty bound to educate voters on. They have to be told of the series of economic, social, and political considerations related to how the revenue is collected, allocated, and managed for both current and future generations.
That’s why there are politicians each Party elects. Their job-especially at the retail level– is to inform and educate their constituents in the simple bite-size swallow-able pieces that fit their needs. The goal is to establish clarity in its basest form to avoid conclusions drawn from political perception.
Shamefully, though, the “Oil Money” has been a cheap sell for politicians targeting votes by giving dubious economic opinions and the questionable claim that 95% of the Wealth Fund being spent locally.
There was a Natural Resource Fund (NRF) Established in 2019 and was available for the elected Opposition’s perusal and scrutiny through September 5th 2025. If there was ever a comprehensive budget criticism of this Fund by the Opposition, during its seated five years, it was not shared with the public, which an elected Opposition serves.
This brings us to governance, politics of international relations and the impact on the national economy which we’ll merely highlight to keep the focus sharp and pertinent…in response to those whose politics is the resurrection and admonition of the PNC’s governance through 1992.
PNC Government, from 1964-1985, ended in a recording of poverty, largely because of political ideology which was caused by nationalization of bauxite to the anger of America and Canada which had stakes in Guyana’s Bauxite Industry.
This spilled over to a slow -walking of purchases of Guyana’s products by its foreign consumers, a virtual boycott of its foreign trade, that reduced foreign exchange which affected currency, causing a domino fall of interrelated economic components.
Its rejection of an International Monetary Fund’s bail out loan because of its draconian terms exacerbated national liquidity and ability to import on credit.
And consumer sentiment can never be discounted when the introduction of Knowledge Sharing Institutes sprung up to ration staples received only after interminable standing in what became ‘Guy-lines’.
Contrary to popular sentiment of the race-baiters who broadcast that KSI’s were for Afro Guyanese, this hurt most citizens and consumers alike, as the majority of citizens, irrespective of race or politics, endured the same pain and frustration to receive basic rations.
PNC governed from 1964- 1992 then 2015 – 2020 totaling 33 years …for those advancing the ‘Years of Party Leadership’ argument to assign blame.
The PPP governed Guyana from 1953- 1964 =11 then 1992 – 2015 = 23 then 2020 to current total so far =5 therefore 39 years and counting.
We’ll, flat out, discount any data submitted by the PPP on the nation’s well being, particularly this hit job from this PPP operative, too caught up in narco trafficking and eavesdropping equipment to give an opinion that was intended to redeem his criminality– is our opinion.
The system of self -reporting, also, gives opportunity for data favorable to progress to be submitted. Of that, we are aware and remain wary.
And though all of these elements would have affected the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, which values production over a specific period, it is not an automatic carriage of product wealth to every cycle of production.
What does that is astute and efficient oversight of every natural resource, over every reported quarter of its production, which manages every strand of raw material for benefit of citizens – WHOSE NUMBERS ARE MEASURED BY AN UPDATED CENSUS and interim data -gathering of population’s needs- housing, hospitals, schools, jobs, for starters.
In Guyana, that means the Governing arm has both duty and obligation, especially because they are paid by tax payers, to advance proposals for the best outcomes for the nation.
The same goes for the Elected Opposition, similarly duty bound as a paid entity and bears the responsibility to evaluate proposals, in the context of national benefit.
This brings us to the “squandering of the oil money and the molestation of the Sovereign Wealth Fund with repercussions of damage for generations”…a worn political trope designed expressly for hysteria and rage-baiting.
If any comprehensive critiques and counter proposals were advanced, post establishment of the Fund by the out going Opposition 2021 -2025, we could have done a line item examination.
We haven’t been able to locate one specifically but noted a composite of random commentary in the social media space, inaptly designated ‘Budget Debate’.
We also found a “rebuttal” to social programs which was mainly narrative and not the typically structured budget -like document in the framework of National Laws, governing areas like Mandatory Spending, Discretionary Spending.
Being unfamiliar with a non -line item Budget Proposal, not compared to Budget Monitoring Report or a Budget vs. Actual Report or, even past financial statements, we’ll reserve comment or query as to the feasibility of the rebuttal.
All revenue is not fungible – one of the recitations in this craft, is pertinent here.
Political Parties criticizing each other’s activities is a strategy to highlight one’s platform and the other’s lack there of. But blaming the adversary, to motivate Party members and voters, is strategy only when it changes the fortunes of the blamer.
And this brings us back to the ‘Clean Up Spirit ‘we discussed in our opening, the copy- cat strategy that has ensued, to which we’ll add the ‘encroachment’ into Tiger Bay, now taken as an affront ‘most foul’.
Politics is fundamentally about leadership which uses positions of authority to shape public policy and by extension public perception.
A balance of integrity, vision and yes, the ability to inspire voters about capabilities to meet and surpass their needs and expectations, are also critical to the success of politicians.
It’s not just the sound bite and the trashing of rivals in the public arena.
It’s more about substance over spectacle, respectful debate with a productive exchange of ideas, prioritizing genuine solutions and public service over “cheap points” that boost short-term popularity but lack lasting impact.
And the last five years of the APNU in Opposition gave us all that and WE, XPRESSBLOGG, pointed it out frequently- without fear or favor or adherence to all the ‘rules’ that dictate mandatory support because of shared identity- irrespective of incapability.
We are free range political thinkers anchored in our social origin, particularly the political vehicle that was engineered for our success in politics.
Suggesting that we are anything but, is the blunted affect of the trauma following a cycle of high anticipation and abject defeat.
The therapy now, in our opinion, begins with a regrouping that starts with a structured review and reflection that analyses the PNC Party’s frame work; highlighting its genesis, its foundation, direction, and journey that condensed condense its place in national history as the Party that fought for and won suffrage rights through Proportional Representation.
And in this recounting of the vision of its Framers will be their focus on executive diligence and quality personnel for leadership and executive roles, the firewall that was intended to prevent the blight that has dethroned its past eminence.
And while they are at it, an ‘Ongoing Reconstruction’ sign should be hung on its door, with the line ‘Not Responsible for any Opinion made on our behalf from groups using any form of our likeness or any variation of our Official Name’.
For, if in its weakened state, its Front Facing Team thinks that the squalling and squabbling in its name-in the public square – is a show of formidability and support, that would confirm that there is no difference between them and its its destructive predecessor.
And it will be more than just a change in Leadership, that is required.
Them rivets and bolts will need some urgent modernization….which requires balancing adaptive re-use and rehabilitation techniques, expressly, to preserve the structure’s historical character.
In other words, they’ll need a professional and nothing less, if the Party is to be restored to, even, a semblance of its former glory.