Georgetown, Guyana – September 24, 2025 – Political tensions within the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) and its coalition partners escalated Wednesday as Dorwin Bess, leader of VPAC, issued a blistering statement accusing FGM founder Amanza Walton-Desir of betrayal, dishonesty, and sidelining her partners.
Bess alleged that Walton-Desir tore up a pact that guaranteed equal rotation of parliamentary seats among coalition partners, keeping 60 percent of the mandate for herself, giving 40 percent to Nigel London, and leaving VPAC without representation. He further accused her of refusing to denounce what he described as a racist public statement within the coalition, instead portraying VPAC as having “threatened” her. “That was a lie. No threats were made,” Bess said, insisting VPAC only demanded clarity on whether racism was condoned.
But Walton-Desir has publicly pushed back against accusations of dishonesty or bullying. In a recent Facebook Live, she said she had received a threatening WhatsApp message after missing several calls, warning her to reconcile with VPAC or “else.” The message, she added, went as far as to threaten to “burn that bridge”, words she said struck personally, since the bridge is the symbol of Forward Guyana. Walton-Desir framed the dispute as an attack on her leadership as a woman, saying: “You see me as a female leader and you think you can come and threaten me. I do not take threats.”
The war of words highlights deep fractures in a coalition that was built on trust and inclusivity but now finds itself consumed by internal disputes. While Bess claims Walton-Desir has manipulated and sidelined allies, she has described herself as the target of intimidation and political strong-arming.
At the heart of the standoff is the coalition’s lone parliamentary seat, a symbol of both political survival and principle. Bess insists it belongs collectively to all three coalition partners, while Walton-Desir maintains her leadership decisions were legitimate. With both sides digging in, the fight over representation has become not just a political disagreement, but a test of trust, gender dynamics, and the fragile unity of Guyana’s opposition forces.
