Dear Editor,
MY fellow Guyanese, every election is important. But Monday’s election is not just another vote, it is a turning point in our nation’s history. For the next five years, we will be choosing leaders who will guide us through a new era, an era unlike anything Guyana has ever seen before. Oil and gas revenues are pouring into our land. By 2030, oil production will at least double to 1.8 million barrels a day. That is mind-boggling wealth! The question is: will this wealth uplift every Guyanese, or will it be squandered?
This is why I say to you today: Elections have consequences. And this one will shape not just our lives, but the lives of our children and grandchildren.
I speak with the memory of 1973 etched in my heart, the year of stolen elections. I was there when ballot boxes were hijacked. I remember the blood of two young men from my own village No. 64, Corentyne, gunned down by the GDF as they tried to stop fraud. They died for democracy. For decades after, Guyana became a sad, broken example of what electoral fraud can do to a nation. We were ridiculed in the Caribbean and the world. Our people were robbed of their will. Hope was nearly extinguished.
But today, a new dawn has broken. Guyana has another chance. And so, as you prepare to vote on Monday, I beg you to think deeply. Think of the sacrifices and progress made. Think of the kind of future you want for your children. And ask yourselves these questions:
1. Which leaders will guarantee that Guyana never again returns to electoral fraud? That our elections remain free and fair, and that the results are respected with dignity and peace?
2. Who has the vision and strength to lead us into an era of increased prosperity, not just for few but for every Guyanese?
3. Who will put the people first, the poor, the struggling, the forgotten — and ensure no one is left behind?
4. Who can manage the oil wealth with wisdom? Oil is not forever. Prices can collapse. Which leaders will invest in building a sustainable Guyana, including the protection of our pristine Amazonian environment for generations to come?
5. Who will protect our food security? Agriculture has always been our pride. Which leaders will ensure Guyana remains the food basket of the Caribbean?
6. Who will transform our education system so that every child, rich or poor, can rise—learning skills, knowledge, and values to thrive in this new Guyana?
7. Who will guarantee affordable, quality healthcare for every community, coast to hinterland?
8. Who will ensure fair and balanced development of land, housing, and infrastructure shared across all of Guyana, without racial or political division?
9. Who will serve selflessly, putting country above self, people above power, and servant leaders?
10. Above all, who will unite us? Who will bring every creed and race together in our “Oh Beautiful Guyana, our lovely native land, our El Dorado”?
My brothers and sisters, this is not a time for tribal politics. This is not a time for empty promises but a time for those who can deliver. “Performance beats ole’ talk anytime!” as it’s said in our neighbouring country Trinidad and Tobago. This is a time for vision, for courage, for selfless leadership.
On Monday, let us vote not with fear, not with division, but with hope, with pride, and with wisdom. Let us show the world that Guyana continues to rise with pride.
Let us honour the memories of those who gave their lives for democracy. Let us safeguard the blessings of our newfound wealth. And let us build a united Guyana — strong, prosperous, and just.
The choice is yours. The future is ours. And the time is now.

Your sincerely,
Prof. Clement K. Sankat, PhD, CEng