GEORGETOWN, Guyana – September 8, 2025 – Freshly sworn in for a second term, President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali came out swinging on Sunday, vowing to crack down on two enemies he says threaten Guyana’s democracy: the rise of disinformation and the rot of corruption. But while the President’s promise drew applause, it also raised the question hanging heavy over Georgetown’s political air, who exactly will face the hammer of accountability?
Before thousands gathered on the lawns of State House, Ali warned of the dangers that manipulated information and digital propaganda pose to peace and stability. “We will pay particular attention to examining ways in which future threats that emerge from misinformation through AI and digital platforms can affect the lives of citizens, destroy peace and safety, and undermine democracy,” he declared.
The pledge comes at a time when Guyana’s online battlefield is already boiling. Some of the loudest and most abusive voices on Facebook, including a pro-PPP social media influencer notorious for personal attacks, operate with impunity. Meanwhile, opposition activists and sections of the independent media remain frequent targets of government criticism and defamation lawsuits. For critics, this double standard is proof that any crackdown on “misinformation” could end up hitting opponents harder than allies.
Still, Ali tried to strike a balancing note. He praised the “essential watchdog role of the media” and promised to make government more transparent by requiring every ministry to provide facts quickly and clearly. Yet the gap between words and action looms large. The Office of the Commissioner of Information, for example, remains a dead end for many citizens, who complain it is inaccessible despite being established under the Access to Information Act.
And the President went further, hinting at consequences not only for rogue activists but also for those deemed responsible for disseminating information. “Additionally, and of no less importance, we must hold those who are tasked with the dissemination of information accountable for their actions. They must be held accountable, also,” Ali warned.
For many observers, that sounds uncomfortably close to giving the state more power to police media and online speech, a fraught area in a country with a long history of state media control by both PPP and APNU+AFC governments. The High Court may have struck down criminal defamation as unconstitutional, but a tangle of other laws, from the Defamation Act to the Racial Hostility Act, remain on the books and could be sharpened into tools of suppression.
Ali’s wider message on Sunday was about cleansing corruption in public and private life, a promise that resonates with citizens weary of scandals and backroom deals. But his vow to also take on misinformation puts his government at the intersection of two difficult fights: protecting democracy without eroding free speech, and rooting out corruption without weaponizing the law against critics.
For Guyana, the coming months may reveal whether Ali’s crusade builds public trust, or deepens suspicions that in the war on fake news, truth itself can become the first casualty.
