Dear Editor,
October 6th, 2026 marks the 46th Anniversary since the imposition of the fraudulent Burnham Constitution on October 6th, 1980, which ushered in a long line of dictatorships.
In remembering the long night of the dictators, this letter is an expression of solidarity with our Guyanese compatriots, all those who were driven into forced migration and in remembrance of all those who have died. It is also in solidarity with all of our compatriots who are in the trenches for almost three months, protesting peacefully that the PPP be reminded that they have to account for the loss of lives of entire families whose bodies were never recovered in the MV Barima tragedy.
When in opposition, the PPP vilified the PNC government as a ‘creeping dictatorship’ on account of the fraudulent 1980 constitution, which the PPP claimed was bogus, condemned as the concoction of a mad dictator and a recipe for riots and mayhem.
The general elections of 1992 did not return democracy to Guyana. How could it under a constitution that was bogus. The 1992 election was held as an act of good faith in that the Guyanese electorate accredited that the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan would rewrite the dreadful Burnham Constitution as he had promised as a gift to the Guyanese people.
What Dr. Jagan did when he came to government unexpectedly was to open the economy to the big capitalist consortiums, OMAI being the first. OMAI carted away in President Jagan’s time, shown on 60 MINUTES, enormous amount of gold that took the Spanish Conquestadores 70 years to loot from the Inca Empire. And where did the royalty go?
After more than three decades of what has been described as constitutional reform, costing the nation GYD $2.5 billion, amendments made have only been tailored to suit the extravagant lifestyle of the executive power. It is unlikely that any political party or parties in Guyana will dispense with the enormous powers of the presidency. Guyanese post-colonial politicians are numbered amongst the richest.
There is a growing concern in the diaspora for what is happening in Guyana, the widespread corruption, the complete disregard for life, the lawlessness, unaccountability for billions of dollars from the Natural Resources Fund (NRF).
Irrespective that Guyana earns more money from our oil and gas extraction, estimated at US$$$billion a month, which Guyana previously earned in an entire year, there is absolutely no improvement in the lives of ordinary Guyanese. Since the PPP returned to government in August 2020, billions of dollars allocated to the Ministry of Culture but there have been no purchases of art from senior Guyanese artist some of whom have served Guyana since the first CARIFESTA, neither are there purchases of art for the national collection and billions are going every year towards repair to the national gallery and a new museum!
The mass inflow of immigrants competing within our limited economic space has created more hardship, as our young Guyanese are without jobs, displaced or criminalised… inflation continues to depreciate the Guyana dollar requiring at least US $500 per month for a small family to survive.
Forty-six years after the imposition of the fraudulent 1980 constitution, it is unclear whether Guyana can still be considered a sovereign state or is part of MAGA hemispheric design. The deportation of criminal rejects from the US to Guyana undermines our credibility as a sovereign state.
The insensitivity and callous manner in which the PPP has dealt with the MV Barima tragedy will have serious political undercurrent.
In so long as we Guyanese continue to struggle for justice for our Guyanese compatriots who died because of the criminal negligence by PPP high-ranking officials in the MV Barima Tragedy, the PPP will have to concede grounds…
Yours faithfully,
Desmond Alli
Source: Kaieteur News
