VPAC, Walton-Desir in public spat over FGM’s lone parliamentary seat

…accusations of betrayal, threats mount

As the ongoing unravelling of the combined political opposition continues, infighting between the Vigilant People’s Action Committee (VPAC) and the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) took centre stage on Thursday, as the two sides have begun clashing on social media over the lone Parliamentary seat won by FGM in the September 1 General and Regional Elections.

VPAC, which is headed by businessman Dorwain Bess, came out swinging at FGM Leader Amanza Walton-Desir, issuing a statement accusing her of bullyism, dishonesty, opportunism, betrayal and proverbial theft just one day after Walton-Desir took to social media in a Facebook Live video to accuse an unnamed member of VPAC of threatening her via text message.
According to VPAC, Walton-Desir has proven “beyond doubt that she is unfit to speak of inclusivity”, while according to Walton-Desir, as a female leader, she will not be tolerating threats, being bullied, or being shouted at.
“Politics is often called a dirty game, and Walton-Desir has shown herself to be one of its dirtiest players,” the VPAC statement said.
“[Walton-Desir] cannot sell betrayal as leadership. She cannot silence her partners by twisting their words into “threats”. What she has shown is that her loyalty is not to principle, not to inclusion, and not to the people, but to herself alone. Amanza Walton-Desir has bullied her way through this coalition, lied to the public, and abandoned every principle she once claimed to stand for. VPAC will not be a pawn in her charade.”
In her video on Wednesday, Walton Desir said she was sent a text from a VPAC member stating, “Amanza, I am giving you one last chance to reconcile with VPAC or else”.
“I want it to be very clear that I do not take threats and bullying. He knows himself, and that is the last bit of grace that I will offer him,” Walton-Desir said, without naming the individual.
“As a woman in leadership, you do not call me or get into my inbox because you cannot get your way and issue an ultimatum that you will burn this bridge, and I take it very personally because the symbol of Forward Guyana is a bridge, so I want to be very clear: too many of our women are being lost to abuse and to bullying and to intimidation, and you see me as a female leader, and you believe that you could come and you could threaten me. I do not take threats.”
According to the VPAC statement, the party knows nothing of Walton-Desir being threatened. VPAC says Walton-Desir is hiding “behind her skirt” and “playing the victim”.
“Walton-Desir weaponised her gender, crying victimhood and pretending that being held accountable was an ‘attack on a woman’.” That is disgraceful. It is not courage; it is manipulation,” VPAC said.
Walton is a former executive of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and its umbrella coalition party, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), which she resigned from earlier this year to form the Forward Guyana (FG) party in June.
In July, FG coalesced with VPAC, which Bess formed in January, and The People’s Movement (TPM), headed by Lindener and religious leader Nigel London, forming the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM).
Walton-Desir was announced as the FGM presidential candidate, while London was later announced as the prime ministerial (PM) candidate. Walton-Desir is also the leader of the list of candidates submitted by FGM, meaning she is the only one empowered to write to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to appoint Members of Parliament (MP) for the party. FGM earned 4332 votes in the September 1 elections to gain its one seat.

Want their share of the single seat
According to VPAC, the coalition members had an understanding that any Parliamentary seat won was to be rotated.
“The agreement was simple: the Parliamentary seats secured by our combined mandate would be rotated equally among the three partners. That was our pact,” the VPAC statement said.
Though GECOM had noted that a Parliament seat could not be shared between a “Joinder List”, the FGM seat could still be rotated given that the three sides submitted their List of Candidates as a single party and not as three separate parties.
According to VPAC, they want their share of the single seat, plain and simple. According to VPAC, Walton-Desir “anointed” herself the sole power broker and divvied up the seats in a 60:40 ratio between herself and London, leaving VPAC out in the cold.
“The Parliamentary seat belongs to the collective. It was won by three parties, not by Walton-Desir the individual. VPAC will fight for its rightful share of representation. We will not apologise for demanding honesty, inclusivity, and real leadership,” VPAC said.

Not denouncing racism
VPAC is also accusing Walton-Desir of not denouncing racism.
“When a VPAC member pressed the coalition leadership to denounce a blatantly racist public statement, Walton-Desir and London refused… VPAC demanded only an answer. Do you condone racism, yes or no?” VPAC said.
Infighting is quickly becoming a common thread in the collective political opposition, where resignations and power struggles are becoming the order of the day. The infighting has become particularly heightened with fewer Parliament seats to go around after the opposition lost traction and took fewer seats in the 65-seat National Assembly following the results of the last elections.
After gaining a combined 32 seats in the 12th Parliament, which began in 2020, when the dust settled after the 2025 elections, the combined opposition now has 29 seats to share, with the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) increasing its Parliament seats to 36.
Of the opposition seats, the APNU holds 12, newcomer We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) holds 16, and FGM has its one seat.
Earlier this month, former executive of A New and United Guyana (ANUG), Althia King, accused WIN’s presidential candidate, United States (US)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, of being “cut-throat” after ANUG coalesced with WIN for the elections but ANUG members were left off the roster when WIN MPs were announced. WIN has since denied the allegations.
Over at the PNCR camp, the party’s Chairman, Shurwayne Holder; City Councillor, Robert Maison; and longstanding party member Mervyn Williams all resigned this month, allegedly over persons who were excluded from the list when APNU’s 12 MPs were announced by that party’s leader, Aubrey Norton.