From dictatorship to democracy to chaos? Let’s not throw away our future
Dear Editor,
Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s recent statement reaffirming that only candidates on a party list can contest Guyana’s presidency is not just a technical clarification; it is a line in the sand. A line that separates constitutional order from opportunistic chaos.
Let me be clear, I am not writing this letter as a supporter of the PPP/C. I am writing as someone who lived through the dictatorship and political decay of the pre-1992 era. I remember what it meant to have no say, no vote, no voice. I remember when elections were charades and public institutions served only a single ruling clique. That is why I feel compelled to applaud the Attorney General’s firm and principled stance. He is right to defend the Constitution, and all Guyanese, regardless of party affiliation, should rally to that defence.
In his statement, the Attorney General made clear that the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act (ROPA) require presidential candidates to come from an approved party list. This isn’t some obscure legal footnote. This has been the bedrock of our electoral system since independence, and certainly since our hard-fought return to democracy in 1992. It is a system designed to prevent exactly what we’re seeing now, the sudden attempt by an ambitious individual to upend the rules and reshape them for personal gain.
This isn’t about personalities, it’s about precedent. If someone like Azruddin Mohamed, or any other wealthy figure, can unilaterally demand the right to run for president without going through the democratic process of building a party, presenting a platform, and submitting to internal accountability, then we are opening the door to chaos.
It is deeply troubling that the same voices demanding an independent bid frame it as democratic. Let’s be honest, this is not about expanding democracy. It’s about sidestepping it. Real democracy has rules. It has processes. It has structures to ensure stability, transparency, and national cohesion. Mohamed and his allies would rather burn that house down than build within it.
Let’s also be clear about this: no one is barring Mohamed from running. He has every right to put himself forward. But he must follow the law, like everyone else. The rules are there for a reason. He has until the 14th of July to demonstrate that he has genuine support, not just money and spectacle. And if, as some claim, he is buying signatures or manipulating the process, the truth will come out. It always does.
We’ve seen this before. Venezuela, our neighbour and once a vibrant democracy, allowed a convicted criminal to contest their presidency. His name was Hugo Chavez. He had charm, money, and a message of revolution. He won. And Venezuela lost everything. Two decades later, their economy is in ruins, millions have fled, and democracy is a distant memory. Do we really want to open that door?
Guyana’s strength today is that we are not that. We are a country governed by law, and by a Constitution that, while imperfect, protects us from exactly this kind of populist shortcut. Our electoral system may be complex, but it is representative. It is built to prevent the concentration of power in one man’s hands, and that’s a feature, not a flaw.
We want to be like Singapore, like South Korea, nations that developed not through chaos or charisma, but through institutional strength and discipline. Do you think Singapore would allow someone to just announce a presidential candidacy on Facebook? Do you think South Korea’s courts would tolerate it? Of course not. And that’s why their economies and democracies have grown stronger, not weaker.
This is a test for us. Not just a legal test, but a civic one. Will we defend our Constitution even when it’s inconvenient for some? Will we stand up for institutions when others want to bulldoze them?
I urge all Guyanese, especially those who suffered under dictatorship, to speak up. The Attorney General has drawn the line. Let us stand behind it.
