I FIRST entered politics as a polling agent for the PPP in the 1968 election, thus I have chalked up 57 years of political activism. What I saw yesterday (Monday) should cause me to go to the keyboard right away and write my memoir.
Yesterday for the first time in modern Guyanese history, the Leader of the Opposition did not rotate between the PPP and PNC. Even when there was a political entity named APNU that entered politics, it was the PNC that chose the Speaker, Raphael Trotman in 2011. The PNC was APNU and APNU was the PNC in 2011. The choice of Dr. Barton Scotland as Speaker in 2015 came from the PNC.
It was an uncomfortable moment for me yesterday because in those 57 years, I came to know most of the leaders in the PNC, some of whom took a liking to me and this went right up to the years between 2015 and 2020.
I went to PNC Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan in 2017 and asked if he could facilitate me with a house lot for someone very much in need of a roof over the family’s head.
I got it the next day. I went to PNC Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry and asked if a student that missed St. Joseph High School by two marks could be facilitated. She did it right away. I went to PNC Minister of Health, George Norton and explained how a returned medical doctor was not finding employment. The appointment was made the next day.
Let me say unapologetically, during the government of the APNU+AFC, I received a better reception from PNC power-holders than I did from those in the WPA and AFC. And this was at a time I was doing a daily chastisement of the APNU+AFC government in the Kaieteur News.
Clive Thomas of the WPA was insulting to me when I requested information from him. His words were: “For you to go and write about it.”
I couldn’t believe this was a man with whom I shared more that 40 years of comradely politics. You know what they say about karma? I wouldn’t go any further with this.
I remember in my presence, PNC Attorney-General, Basil Williams told WPA Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine that now that APNU is in government, Freddie Kissoon must return to UG.
I looked at Roopnaraine’s visage. There was an intestinal smile but he said absolutely nothing. Roopnaraine didn’t even speak to me. You know what they say about karma? I won’t go any further with this
The AFC Ministers were brutal and bestial with me. None of them wanted to speak to me because of my daily criticism with harsh comments being made against me by people like Cathy Hughes, Dominic Gaskin, and Khemraj Ramjattan. They resented my criticism of the APNU+AFC government more than the PNC ministers and high state officials.
I ran into Aubrey Norton in 2016 on Middle Street where his Youth Empowerment Office was. He asked me if I was offered a job and I said no. Then he said he would arrange something. I declined because the begging instinct never ran through the Kissoon family.
On Christmas Eve, 2015, a car drove up to my gate and the driver gave me a gift, compliments of PNC Minister Amna Ally. I wrote something about the mistreatment of a patient at the Georgetown Hospital, the then Minister of Health, Volda Lawrence called me at 6 AM the morning asking me for details.
In the 1970s, many of PNC Ministers that were students with me on the UG campus were friendly with me even though I was a frenetic anti-PNC activist on the campus. I was sad when I learnt that the PNC had lost the opposition majority at the 2025 national elections. I could not accept WIN as the major opposition party and Azruddin Mohamed as Opposition Leader.
Given his baggage, Mohamed should never have been in politics. l am not convinced that his 16 seats came from political persuasion and political appeal. It came from a room filled with billions of dollars.
So yesterday, a big part of Guyana’s physiology suffered some defects. We are accustomed here in Guyana since 1957, that when PNC in power, PPP is the opposition, when PPP in power, PNC is the opposition. Yesterday, Monday, January 26 broke with that tradition.
I never gravitated to the PNC since I entered politics in 1968. I felt it never had the philosophical gravitas needed to liberate post-colonial Guyana and given the opportunity several times, it failed Guyana. But I don’t think it deserved to have lost to Azruddin Mohamed. I hope the future corrects that tragedy.

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.