HGP NIGHTLY NEWS – Opposition MP and Leader of the Forward Guyana Movement, Amanza Walton-Desir, has delivered one of her sharpest rebukes yet of President Irfaan Ali’s five-year development blueprint, accusing the government of theatrical governance, democratic defiance, and substituting glossy spending figures for real-world results.
Reacting after sitting through nearly three hours of the President’s address, Walton-Desir said she felt “punked,” describing the presentation as an exhausting exercise that grew more troubling the longer it went on. She zeroed in immediately on what she called a deliberate and disrespectful choice of venue, noting that the address was delivered outside a properly convened sitting of the National Assembly.
According to Walton-Desir, that decision was not a technicality but a powerful symbol. She argued that a head of state’s major policy address traditionally takes place in Parliament, where it is formally recorded and debated and where it sets the legislative agenda for years to come. Instead, she said, Guyanese were presented with a quasi-parliamentary speech delivered while the government continues to delay convening the Assembly, particularly amid the unresolved appointment of an Opposition Leader.
She described the moment as deeply ironic. While the President spoke at length about a national “mindset shift,” Walton-Desir said the administration itself was openly flouting democratic norms. In her view, preaching law, order, and discipline while bypassing parliamentary convention was “mind-blowing” and insulting to citizens’ intelligence.
Walton-Desir then turned her fire on the substance of the address, especially the government’s reliance on expenditure figures as proof of progress. She argued that repeatedly citing billions spent in sectors like healthcare does not amount to success if outcomes remain poor. Referring to reports of patients suffering due to basic shortages at public hospitals, she said spending more money does not automatically mean people are being better served.
“The amount of money expended does not equal results,” she said, warning that efficiency, accountability, and service delivery matter more than headline numbers. She further claimed that a significant portion of public funds is being lost to corruption and inefficiency, alleging that nearly half of what is invested fails to produce meaningful outcomes.
She also dismissed claims by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo about “redefining” primary healthcare, arguing that primary care cannot be reinvented through political language. In her view, prevention-based healthcare is a matter of competence and systems, not slogans or rebranding.
Beyond governance and healthcare, Walton-Desir accused the ruling party of equating investment with elite access to money, rather than empowering independent creators and critical voices. She stressed that artists, poets, theatre practitioners, and digital commentators play a crucial role in holding power to account, noting that satire, spoken word, and online skits often reflect uncomfortable truths back to those in office.
She closed by warning that power does not change character, it magnifies it. Without respect for institutions, transparency, and measurable results, she said, even the most ambitious development plans risk becoming empty performances, disconnected from the daily struggles of ordinary Guyanese.
Her remarks add to mounting opposition criticism that the government’s sweeping vision for the next five years is being undercut by governance choices that prioritise control and presentation over accountability, results, and democratic legitimacy.
