AS Guyana approaches the September 1, 2025 general and regional elections, the opposition landscape has been transformed into a bewildering theatre of political musical chairs, with familiar faces donning new party labels, while clinging to the same worn philosophies and questionable track records that have repeatedly failed the Guyanese people.

The electorate must not be fooled by this elaborate game of political rebranding that seeks to obscure fundamental truths about governance, competence, and accountability.

The recent splintering of the opposition has reached almost farcical proportions, with former PNCR shadow minister Amanza Walton-Desir launching “Forward Guyana,” after complaining of being sidelined and AFC parliamentarians Juretha Fernandes, Sherod Duncan and Deonarine Ramsaroop marching over to APNU.

This fragmentation has created what analysts describe as an opposition landscape where “at best, it could be said with some liberties taken that the two opposition parties are there, and no more.”

What makes this political theatre particularly concerning is the glaring absence of substantive policy proposals from these newly minted parties and recycled politicians.

Opposition leaders continue making “ambitious promises to voters, pledging substantial increases in government spending,” without presenting coherent funding mechanisms or implementation strategies.

The PPP/C’s Dr Bharrat Jagdeo correctly observed that these politicians “are both going to make a series of promises to the electorate that they have no intention of fulfilling,” echoing their failed 2015 campaign slogan of delivering a “good life for everyone.”

Financial experts have warned that opposition spending proposals could “rapidly deplete Guyana’s financial reserves, including its Natural Resource Fund.”

The electorate must remember that these same individuals and parties presided over what has been characterised as “the most corrupt” period in Guyana’s history during their 2015-2020 tenure.

Their record includes procurement fraud, mismanagement of school-feeding programmes, dubious state lands transactions, and an unprecedented attempt to rig the 2020 elections that plunged the nation into months of political instability.

During their period of governance, healthcare services deteriorated  because of underinvestment, infrastructural development was neglected, and Indigenous communities suffered as Amerindian Development Funds were slashed.

As voters watch this show of political self-interest, they should pay attention to real competence instead of empty talk. The math of Guyana’s electoral system shows that when the opposition splits, unified parties gain an advantage. More importantly, good governance needs more than just slogans and promises.

The current PPP/C administration has shown real results in education, infrastructure and economic growth.

Guyanese voters deserve leaders who offer clear policy plans, not politicians who switch parties, while sticking with the same failed ideas.

The elections in September present a clear choice between those who have proven their abilities and familiar faces pushing the same failed beliefs under different names.

The voters need to make a wise choice. They should look past the political show and focus on past actions, solid policies and the key question of who can truly bring the progress Guyana needs during this transformative era.