-maintains the AFC leader lacks credibility, unfit to be President

ATTORNEY-GENERAL and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, SC, has publicly criticised leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Attorney Nigel Hughes for what he described as duplicity concerning Guyana’s ongoing infrastructure development.

Speaking on Tuesday evening during his weekly programme, “Issues in the News,” Nandlall accused Hughes of being hypocritical about the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government’s transformative projects.

Hughes recently made several public comments about the government’s extensive infrastructure agenda outlined in the $1.382 trillion 2025 Budget, which includes plans for new roads, bridges, and other public works.

In his statements, Hughes claimed that the budget places greater emphasis on infrastructure development while neglecting the basic needs of the population.

However, in response, Nandlall emphasised that Hughes’ criticism lacks credibility given his previous endorsements of similar initiatives. “It is duplicity, hypocrisy, and absolute mediocrity that is laid before you. I have repeatedly said that this gentleman has now been reduced to bringing comic relief to the political landscape of this country. His is a narrative that is absolutely unbelievable, absolutely without credibility, absolutely without merit, and absolutely duplicitous. That is what epitomises everything he says and everything that he does,” Nandlall said during his programme.

The Attorney-General said that Hughes has been traveling around the country, photographing dilapidated buildings and bad roads, and sharing them on social media.

He stated that the AFC leader visited an Amerindian community and drew attention to the fact that children were compelled to use pit latrines at their school.
Nandlall added that Hughes took photos and claimed there were no buildings in another indigenous community to accommodate the children for their classes, suggesting they were forced to attend classes under trees due to the lack of infrastructure.

The Ministry of Education has since clarified that this claim was incorrect. The Ministry said that the children were not under the trees because of a lack of buildings but rather because the teachers had decided to hold classes outdoors to let the children enjoy the natural environment.

Hughes, Nandlall added, has highlighted these images as evidence, questioning how such conditions persist in Guyana, an oil-producing nation, and the fastest-growing economy in the world.

“Let us assume that we didn’t have the building, and our children are attending classes in the open air under trees. Let us assume that all of this is correct. This is him [Hughes] showing you the state of the country’s infrastructure and cussing the government for not fixing the infrastructure. And when the government puts money in the budget to build the very thing that he is asking for, he says, ‘So the people gonna eat concrete? The people gonna eat infrastructure?’ How do you take a politician like this seriously?” the AG questioned.

AG Nandlall reasoned, “I am not saying that the budget is perfect. I’m not saying that the PPP is perfect at all. I believe that we have many faults. And I also expect an opposition politician to be critical of the government, but I expect basic common sense in their criticisms. And common sense is lacking. You can’t be complaining about pit latrines, and when we are building the toilets that you are clamoring for, you’ve got a problem with that too…”

He added: “Are you going to place your children’s welfare, your future, your lives, and the future of this country in the hands of a man who is so duplicitous? A man who engages in such blatant sophistry? This is a guy that you would take seriously?”

Minister Nandlall then responded to Hughes’ argument, which claimed that the government’s infrastructure projects were for the “family and friends” of the PPP/C. Nandlall dismissed this as baseless, stating that the individuals involved in government projects come from all ethnic groups.

“Why are you envious of the contractors? Come and join them so you can become a beneficiary as well,” he said.

Nandlall further rejected the opposition’s claims that international companies involved in major projects in Guyana, such as the new Demerara River bridge, have ties to members of the PPP/C government.

During his programme he reiterated his stance that that the AFC leader is unfit to be President, citing what he called a pattern of inconsistent and self-serving behaviour.

“That man should not be any place close to a government. They care not about their credibility,” he pointed out.

Earlier this week, AFC’s executive committee endorsed Hughes as the party’s presidential candidate.

Nandlall has praised Budget 2025 for its people-centred approach, highlighting its significant fiscal investment in infrastructure, social services, and cost-of-living relief, which will benefit all sectors and Guyanese.