Opposition politicians will scheme and spread negative narratives about the government of the day. They will be on all kinds of political shenanigans aimed at drawing first blood and wounding their political rivals (not literally) as the countdown to the elections draws nearer.

In any modern democracy, these politicians will go after the facts and bring the truth, which in most cases, is hidden away from the public by the government. These opposition politicians, in most cases, have integrity, credibility, and the usual moral stock that could match any government minister, legislator and politician.

They win the people by telling the truth and opposing with reason. Most times, the world over, they gain political authority and power by presenting an alternative, rational, realistic, and workable plan to the people forcing them to make an informed choice.

In Guyana, there is a different breed of opposition politicians.

These politicians, at the start of the pre-election year, are known to intensify their campaigns aimed at political power and authority. They will blatantly lie, scheme, and manufacture scandals. They will not present the facts and truthful information but, are known, to peddle ‘little white lies’ or paint a grim picture of life in Guyana.

Their political shenanigans will become more frequent and they will have several whisper campaigns aimed at carrying the opposition’s racist messages that they will not say aloud. What is almost certain is that the usual diatribe of racism rhetoric and undertones will be heightened because this breed of opposition politicians has proven that they are very desperate for power and control.

It is no secret that the PNC-APNU/AFC politicians are already working up their bases to strike at the heart of the PPP/C administration and the party.

We are only in February, and already we have one of their politicians, Coretta McDonald planning to have a country-wide teachers strike tomorrow. McDonald, who is one of the great pretenders and lacks credibility, is no doubt using the Guyana Teachers Union and toying with some of their feelings of discontent about wage negotiations and other matters.

McDonald is out and about spreading lies and half-truths to whip up the public’s sympathy but it is having a hard time because at every turn, the PPP/C administration is exposing her and skinning up her plan. This is certainly not about the teachers nor is it about GTU. It is about creating a political environment of tension and hostility in the country where there will be the PPP government facing off with a largely African and APNU-sympathizer trade union.

The political optics are what McDonald and others from the opposition will try to get the public to see. They will try to milk it for political value. It is part and parcel of the PNC/APNU/AFC slow march to power next year but their campaigns will reach a dead-end because of the PPP/C communication machinery which keeps emphasizing real facts, empirical data and truthful information.

Also, the GTU and all teachers are earning way more than they did in 2019 in terms of salaries, and are getting more headway with their non-salary benefits compared with the previous Administration.

But McDonald’s political wickedness, deceitfulness and treacherousness are all part of the opposition’s nature in Guyana. Maybe there is something in the water that makes these opposition politicians lie. The issue with the teachers is a manufactured controversy being played up to create the condition for a great political victory for APNU/AFC at the polls.

This planned strike by GTU must not be successful. McDonald is playing politics with the teachers. She is using them and playing with the children’s education. Teachers, who are content at the moment, will not support it even though they believe they deserve more.

Following GTU will be the Guyana Trade Union Congress led by Lincoln Lewis and the Guyana Public Service Union Patrick Yarde. They too will engage their members in some sort of strike action but the aim will be to bring the government to a halt. The public must not buy into the narrative they will no doubt put out. They will say cost of living and all manner of things but it is all part of a political plot.

PNC/R Leader and Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton must be watched closely because he does not seem to like a fair challenge. He will only stay at arm’s length while McDonald and the other trade unionists/politicians, who could be referred to as the ‘farm’, execute the pressure. He already hinted at the cost-of-living rally, “…they must remember, merely having guns does not guarantee you victory. He who can handle the gun is in a better position” and “…let the PPP start feeling”.

Looking ahead and expecting anything from this new breed of opposition politicians, Norton, if given the chance or an opportune moment, could mobilize his consistency or PNC base to start “the struggle” as he refers to it. By struggle, assumably, Norton means pickets, protests and violence because he is from the ‘slow fire, mo’fire’ era.

Realistically, knowing the mindset of the PPP/C, they will use every legal avenue to maintain law and order, if this is indeed the plot. Norton knows fully well that they are not working in isolation but in partnership with every trade union and entity that wants to see the backs of the PPP/C. But this type of political miscalculation, the PPP/C is hoping to avoid because they would be required to act swiftly and condignly.

Finally, any sensible Guyanese over the coming months would know the opposition is setting the stage for a political showdown with the PPP/C at elections next year. McDonald must end her senseless game of playing ‘farm’ politics and tricking the public into thinking she cares about teachers or their wellbeing. She does not and if she did, she would not seek to give up trying to get an audience with the relevant authority. The President is always available to the GTU and McDonald knows this but she does not want to admit this government has been fair and good to the teachers. There is no reason to strike except for political reasons.

McDonald hopes the ‘farm’ will follow but even the ‘farm’ can not hold back the development gripping our country and taking Guyana by storm. Stop playing politics and passing it off as trade unionism. Stop!