Universal adult suffrage, with its promise of Independence and social justice, gave rise to popular participation of workers and farmers in active politics. These, along with professional and small business owners, were mobilized by the PPP. The dominant foreign business operatives, their allies in the big business community and the high bureaucracy, formed the ruling elite. It was this group which prevailed upon the British Government to suspend the constitution of British Guiana in 1953.

In 2012 I wrote an article which was published in the Mirror newspaper which represents the views of the PPP. I said that the PPP governments had done much to deal with corruption and I pointed out the steps that had been taken. I noted, however, that increasing government spending had created additional opportunities for more corruption to flourish which had become pervasive in Guyana. The events provoked by that article defined the PPP’s and Government’s attitude to the issue of corruption. The Government denied the existence of corruption then, before, and throughout the post-Jagan era and called on those who made the allegations to prove that corruption existed. Since corruption by its nature is conducted in secret, it was not possible to ‘prove it.’ Corruption has continued to grow since 2012 and did not skip a beat when APNU+AFC took office in 2015.

June 13 marks the 42^nd anniversary of the assassination of Walter Rodney, described by Martin Carter as killing “the origin of rain.” The struggle for official recognition of Walter Rodney’s contribution to the freedom of Guyana has been long and arduous. Revered even in his lifetime for the bold and courageous deployment of his dynamic leadership and intellect in the service of Guyana’s working people, he posed a challenge to authoritarianism by inspiring Guyanese of all races to demand their liberty.  

The Alliance for Change (AFC), the junior partner to A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) in the alliance, APNU+AFC, which formed the government of Guyana from 2015 to 2020 and which now forms the Opposition, has hinted at a press conference on Friday last, reported in SN yesterday, that it will not renew the Cummingsburg Accord (Accord), its secret agreement with APNU, which comes to an end in December.