Dear Editor,
The last Government was… gerontocracy-like: only old people could’ve made it into the Government. I agree with Thandi McAllister wholeheartedly.
The truth is the previous Government has almost irrefutably disappointed the youth of its party and Guyana, time and time again.
The current vein of promises A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has spewed forth thus far in the 2025 campaign seems quite on track with their previous pre-election pledges that were left unfulfilled. They had abandoned our young people and cast them from the limelight after the 2015 and 2020 elections were over.
I blame former President David Granger and senior leadership of the coalition at that time. The AFC is not innocent and did nothing to champion the youths in this coalition.
I am even more hurt when I look at the state of the partnership now under the management of Aubrey Norton as leader of the PNC and Chairman of APNU. Still a set of washed-up politicians like Ganesh Mahipaul, Sherwayne Holder, David Hinds, and Annette Ferguson.
Where are the youths with bright ideas? Where are the young people who have integrity and confidence? Where are the young, intelligent and trustworthy lads who want to lead our country and take over the mantle of leadership in the parliament and party, or, I dare say, in the next APNU coalition Government?
Juretha Fernandes has not been tested. She can’t bring in the youth votes for her former party – much less the APNU or PNC party which she is a part of.
I have no confidence that the APNU will capture the imagination of the youths of this country. They have used youths as a window-dressing prop. They have used youths for the optics and have thrown them out when they are done.
In a podcast on Ignite Television on Sunday, June 29th, former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Executive Member and Youth Leader Thandi McAllister, now serving as Guyana’s permanent representative to the International Maritime Organisation, shared that in her previous stint with the opposition, she struggled with seeing the lack of inclusion of youth in the party, despite much advocacy for a greater number of young people to be involved in the system of governance and the need to prioritise the rebuilding of the Guyana Youth and Student Movement, but the voices of those who spoke up were not heard.
“This is what we worked for,” Ms McAllister said. “The party campaigned on the inclusion of youth and the importance of the youth vote and the youth voice, and so when that voice was muzzled within the party—people did speak up; we DID speak up.”
I wished to remind the public that one of the first hits taken following the election of the APNU in 2015 was the downgrading of the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport to merely a department under the Ministry of Education. Instead of Guyanese young people seeing all the promised improvements and inclusion in governance, many youth empowerment programmes were completely demobilised or ignored and allowed to run into the ground.
McAllister also said that she didn’t think that the APNU did enough to retain the bright young minds they had led thus far, and it was heart-breaking to experience.
She shared that “You advance your interests based on your truth.” And that instead of keeping in mind the best interests of the party, the leaders refused to take a step back or change the status quo to allow youth to take the lead, rendering it a geriatric movement.
In response to how she feels about the commentary of former President David Granger urging young voters not to be swayed by rhetoric and empty promises of political candidates, McAllister stated that “Granger’s utterances perhaps would’ve held more weight if he had lived those words while he was president and while he had the opportunity to demonstrate to youth that we are important.”
That being the case, it seems preposterous to believe that the APNU/AFC party will follow through on its proposed National Youth Empowerment Scheme.
The former PNCR member also shared that in comparison, even though she started out as a sceptic, we have all witnessed how the current president, Dr Irfaan Ali, has brought fruition to the plans he previously outlined and that “observing how much he (Pres. Irfaan Ali) has put into this presidency and how much he continues to sacrifice to ensure the transformational development we are all witnessing”, she further stated that a vote in Guyana’s best interest is a vote for the PPP/C and to re-elect Irfaan Ali as president of this cooperative republic.”
The PPP’s youth arm – the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) – actively mobilises youth. With over 15,000 members, the PPP’s General Secretary, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, affirmed during a press conference at Freedom House that the Government is committed to the empowerment of young people.
Dr Jagdeo shared that they understand that youth are important for the development of the country and that President Irfaan Ali stands as a manifestation of the way the Government prioritises and has integrated youth into its shared vision for a brighter Guyana.
I have no choice but to say that the PPP/C seems more for youth involvement and youth development than the PNC/APNU outfit. The party is more interested in youths having their say and being inclusive.
The party’s track record as it remains to honour their commitment to young people is stellar. The party has created over 20,000 jobs, 22,000 scholarships, 50,000 jobs, and the list continues.
APNU will promise, but the PPPC will always deliver. APNU is stuck in the past; the PPP/C is moving full ahead with the youth of this country towards the future.
Now, a blind man will know who to vote for in the 2025 election.
This time is not a long time. You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
I urge the young people to not be fooled by Granger, Norton, Hughes and any other candidate on youth development. You have experienced them, and you know the experience with them. Now, choose wisely on September 1st.
