HGP Nightly News – After weeks of public tension over Parliament’s slow restart and the still-vacant Opposition Leader post, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) has issued a sharply worded response to Speaker Manzoor Nadir’s national address, accusing him of crossing the line from referee to political actor.
In the statement, WIN said it “condemns in the strongest possible terms” the Speaker’s remarks delivered on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, claiming he used the address to target the presumptive Leader of the Opposition, Azruddin Mohamed, with what the party described as disparaging, abusive, defamatory, false and malicious statements.
WIN also objected to what it characterised as the Speaker’s open hostility toward members of the diplomatic community, specifically highlighting the United States and Canada. The party grounded its criticism in the timeline leading up to the scheduled vote for Opposition Leader.
WIN said Guyana remained without an Opposition Leader for nearly three months after the first sitting of the 13th Parliament, and argued that Parliament itself had earlier been left stalled for months, describing the delays as deliberate, calculated and unjustified.
According to WIN, it was only after sustained pressure from international partners, civil society and the public that the Speaker finally acted to set an election date. WIN contended that diplomats did not overstep by urging adherence to the Constitution and said it was reckless for the Speaker to “ridicule” or “lecture” those who called for Parliament to function.
The party’s strongest objection, however, was directed at the Speaker’s comments about Mohamed, arguing that the address amounted to prejudging an elected Member of Parliament and revealed bias that is incompatible with the neutrality expected of the Speaker’s office.
“The Speaker is not a prosecutor, a political combatant, or a mouthpiece for the ruling party,” WIN argued, insisting his duty is to uphold the Constitution and protect the integrity of Parliament without partisanship. By choosing personal attacks over restraint, the statement said, the Speaker demeaned the National Assembly and further eroded public trust.
WIN also said democracy should not require diplomatic pressure to function, arguing that the need for outside voices to push constitutional compliance reflects poorly on the Speaker’s stewardship rather than on those who spoke out.
With the election of the Leader of the Opposition set for Monday, January 26, 2026, WIN described the day as historic, marking what it called the end of months of delay and a return to constitutional order.
The party closed by saying it is ready to move forward, restore full parliamentary functioning, and pursue governance grounded in representation and oversight, while tagging multiple diplomatic missions and international organisations in relation to its concerns.
