GUYANA | Poverty, Lawlessness, and Broken Promises Threaten Guyana’s Future

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, January 14, 2026 -(Lincoln Lewis) -  The Irfaan Ali regime can no longer credibly claim it pursues policies that unify the nation. We are witnessing a growing culture of lawlessness, political victimisation, sabotage of Parliament, and attacks on the independence of the judiciary.

Executive lawlessness is evident in economic mismanagement, the reckless proposal to import third-country nationals in an arrangement with the United States without consulting local stakeholders, and the government’s troubling silence on the recent arrest of Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro by the United States.

Silence is also a decision. In matters like Venezuela, this inaction is alarming for a small state like Guyana that relies on international law, diplomacy, and peaceful negotiations to resolve disputes.

It undermines our sovereignty, sets a dangerous precedent for how external powers may influence our region, and casts doubt on the reliance on the International Court of Justice to settle the border controversy with Venezuela.

Our migration system remains chaotic. Repeated calls, including mine, for a structured migration programme that prioritises the safety, well-being, and culture of Guyanese have been ignored.

Political self-interest and vote-seeking manoeuvres have facilitated policies that disregard workers’ rights, undercut local labour protections, and dismiss just demands for living wages and improved working conditions.

The politics of victimisation, discrimination, and exclusion are visible everywhere. People are forced to the breadline, denied opportunities, or relegated to minimal government contracts such as weeding and drain cleaning.

This is not due to incompetence but because of political affiliation, independence, or identity. These actions flagrantly violate citizens’ right to equal treatment under the law.

Equally disturbing is the preferential treatment of foreign interests while Guyanese are forced to realise their government will sacrifice their safety and livelihoods for others.

Parliament, the nation’s highest decision-making forum, is being rendered dysfunctional because of personal differences between the Mohameds and the PPP leadership. The people, through their elected representatives, are shut out of their House, unable to hold the government accountable or deliberate on matters that directly affect their lives.

Every day we hear promises of monetary disbursements to this group or that, yet the source of funds remains unclear. The 2026 budget has not been prepared, and funds from last year’s budget and supplemental allocations appear to have vanished.

Over at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), both the Government and Opposition remain disturbingly silent on repeated reports by Commissioner Vincent Alexander that procedures necessary for the declaration of results under Section 96 and 99 of the Representation of the People Act have not been followed.

These results have been gazetted but not declared, and the silence by the Opposition, even if the Government is complicit, threatens the very integrity of the vote.

Our leaders are failing on critical issues that touch the law, citizens’ rights, and the sovereignty of the nation. Ignoring these issues does not make them disappear; they grow more entrenched, harming every citizen.

Poverty continues unabated, and ordinary Guyanese see no improvement in their standard of living despite the nation’s oil wealth.The consequences of poverty and lawlessness are dire. Exploitation, unsafe working conditions, and wage stagnation prevail where labour laws are weakly enforced.

Rising crime and social instability further threaten livelihoods. Children and vulnerable adults are forced into informal or hazardous work, perpetuating cycles of deprivation.

These conditions crush productivity, discourage collective organisation, entrench inequality, and make it impossible for ordinary Guyanese to benefit from the nation’s wealth. Addressing poverty and strengthening the rule of law is critical not only for workers’ rights and safety but for sustainable economic growth and national development.

We must stand and fight for economic, political, social, and cultural justice. We must act collectively because in unity there is strength.

Those who say we should not protest or demand what is rightfully ours act out of ignorance or self-interest, undermining the collective well-being of citizens and the nation. We must defend what we have gained and push forward. That is resilience.

Prayer alone is meaningless if it is not accompanied by action. On this Sunday, I leave you with the biblical refrain, “God helps those who help themselves.” We must act, organise, and fight for the justice that is due to the people of Guyana.

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