Georgetown, Guyana – August 30, 2025 – At Burnham Court on Saturday night, Presidential Candidate of the Forward Guyana Movement Amanza Walton-Desir, brought her campaign to a close with a solemn but defiant message: Guyana’s future depends on choosing “real change, not exchange.”
Opening her address with the words of Guyana’s national prayer, Walton-Desir told supporters that the election was bigger than rallies, parades, or party colors. “This is about the future of our nation. This is about the future of our children,” she declared.
Walton-Desir reflected on the challenges her movement has faced since its inception, recalling how critics repeatedly dismissed their chances. “They said that we would never make it this far. They said we would never make it past nominations day. And when nominations day came and we made it, they said we would never be able to contest the regions. But here we are,” she said to cheers.
She reminded the crowd that Forward Guyana was not funded by wealth but by conviction. “Not millionaires, not billionaires, but a people rich in spirit and rich in their love for this country. And from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you.”
Walton-Desir rejected claims that her candidacy was a personal quest for power. “They labeled this as a personal adventure. They labeled it as, oh, she’s just ambitious. But tonight we are here to say to the people of Guyana that real change, not exchange, real change, can’t wait.”
She argued that the very rise of new parties like Forward Guyana reflected the deep dissatisfaction of the people. “In our nation there is a yearning, there is a cry, there is a calling for better. And the fact that movements such as Forward Guyana and other newer movements have been able to pop up is a direct result of the need of our people for something different.”
The Forward Guyana leader accused the long-dominant PPP and APNU of relying on fear tactics and voter manipulation. “The Red and the Green fear us because they understand that their hour of reckoning is upon them. They say, don’t split the vote, as if they own your vote. Somehow they see us as property. And this is a mindset that permeates the leadership across the political landscape. For years and decades, they see us as belonging to them.”
She condemned what she described as a corrupt political culture. “The PPP has not promised us anything, and in fact, we don’t want anything from them because that which is born of corruption is corrupt. And that which is received from the corrupt is also corrupt.”
Quoting fellow politician Ronald Bulkan, she reminded supporters that elections should be about vision, not fear. “It is not what you are voting against. It is what you are voting for,” she said.
Walton-Desir told supporters that Guyanese had already accepted the need for change, but must now decide what kind of change to embrace. “We know you want change. We know that you want change. But not all change is good change. So what do you choose?” she asked.
In closing, she positioned Forward Guyana as the only credible alternative to the entrenched parties. “My brothers and sisters, I submit to you that Forward Guyana and the men and women of Forward Guyana are the only credible alternative to anything that you have being offered right now on the political landscape. We will stand.”
