GUYANA is facing a serious situation as the elections on September 1 draw near. The harmful talk effects of racism threaten to undermine the foundation of democratic discussion.
President Irfaan Ali recently spoke out against attacks on Afro-Guyanese supporters of his People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C). This shows a troubling reality that opposition politics in Guyana has not progressed from its dangerous game of racial control that goes against democratic values.

The desperation behind these tactics is clear. When political figures like David Hinds from the Working People’s Alliance call Afro-Guyanese citizens “house slaves” and “lick bottoms” for exercising their right to support a party, it reflects not political discussion but racial policing.

Even more alarming was how Eden Corbin, a newcomer to APNU, labelled former arty members as “stupid”, “clowns”, and “cochores” at a recent rally in Bareroot, with Hinds praising these remarks.

This undermines the democratic principle that citizens should vote based on policies and vision; not racial loyalty.
The irony is evident when looking at APNU’s stance. Opposition leader Aubrey Norton refused to condemn Hinds’ divisive language while claiming former members like James Bond, Jermaine Figueira, and Amanza Walton-Desir are not “heavyweights”.

This shows a party in denial about its own loss of credibility. These are individuals who chose principle over party loyalty, but face attacks for thinking independently.
Dr. Henry Jeffrey’s recent claim that “race-voting is acceptable” at an APNU meeting in Plaisance highlights this backward thinking. By trying to separate “race-voting” from “racism”, Jeffrey shows the mental gymnastics needed to defend what is essentially an anti-democratic view.

When political parties demand racial loyalty instead of earning support through good governance and sound policies, they reduce citizens to mere demographic groups rather than treating them as thinking individuals.

President Ali’s “One Guyana” philosophy, despite its limits, at least understands that development and prosperity depend on unity rather than division.
The PPP/C’s record on infrastructure and economic growth in traditionally APNU strongholds like Linden demonstrates governance based on policy rather than racial favouritism. In contrast, APNU seems focused on convincing Afro-Guyanese that supporting any other party is a betrayal of their racial identity.

This toxic political environment harms democratic norms, and suggests that an entire demographic lacks the ability to make independent political decisions. As Bond properly pointed out, this shows the PNC “at its weakest”, relying on racial fear-mongering instead of presenting a clear vision for Guyana’s future.

Guyanese democracy deserves better than parties that treat their citizens as racial pawns. The departure of principled leaders from APNU shows not weakness in these individuals, but strength in democratic values. True leadership should be about earning support through merit, not demanding it through racial guilt.