In Guyana today, one could be forgiven for believing that the Opposition and its supporters think Vice President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has supernatural powers. According to their daily commentary, he appears responsible for everything that goes wrong in the country—from heavy rainfall and flooding to power outages, traffic jams, road accidents, and even global economic challenges.
Whenever heavy rain causes flooding in Guyana, the blame is directed at Dr Jagdeo and the Government. Yet by that logic, should he also be held responsible for recent flooding in Suriname, French Guyana, and Brazil? Climate change has become a global reality, bringing severe weather to countries across every continent. Suggesting that Guyana’s flooding is the result of a single political administration, while ignoring the worldwide climate crisis, is not serious analysis—it is a political gimmick and nonsense.
The unfortunate reality is that some opposition politicians and one or two newspaper editors seem more interested in scoring political points than in offering solutions. Instead of presenting practical alternatives, many spend their days on social media criticising every government initiative. They have become experts at pointing fingers while offering little substance. As the old saying goes, empty barrels make the most noise.
What is often overlooked is the significant investment in Guyana’s drainage and irrigation infrastructure. In 2005, Georgetown’s drainage system struggled to handle 1.5 inches of rainfall over 24 hours. Today, that capacity has improved to approximately 2.0 inches over the same period. Additional Hope-like canals are being developed, sluices are being upgraded, and more powerful pumps are being installed throughout the country. These investments represent a continuous effort to strengthen Guyana’s climate resilience.
In Georgetown, the city municipality is responsible for drainage and for ensuring the roads are safe. The city is controlled by the PNC party, which is criticising the national government for the flooding in Georgetown during the rainy season, saying it is due to the government failing to clean the city’s drainage. It is for the municipality to do those tasks. The PNC thinks that they can con the people of Georgetown by blaming the government.
Guyanese are obsessed with social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The volume of political rubbish written to criticise the government shows the world that Guyanese influencers and their followers lack political understanding and are the worst kind of gossip-mongers.
A joke making the rounds in Guyana goes that if an accident were to occur on the Dr Bharrat Jagdeo Demerara Bridge, some buffoons would immediately blame Dr Bharrat Jagdeo simply because the bridge bears his name. The humour reflects what many see as an increasingly absurd tendency among sections of the opposition and their social media supporters to hold Dr Jagdeo responsible for virtually everything that goes wrong in the country. While political criticism is an essential part of democracy, blaming Dr Jagdeo for every incident risks turning serious public discourse into little more than a blame game.
The truth is simple: rainfall linked to climate change is intensifying worldwide, often overwhelming even the most advanced drainage systems. In 2026 alone, many developed nations with sophisticated infrastructure experienced devastating floods from severe storms and extreme weather. Guyana is not alone in facing these challenges.
Yet when one listens to the Opposition and their supporters, one would think that Dr Jagdeo and the PPP are personally responsible for every storm cloud over Guyana. Such arguments would be amusing if they were not presented as serious political commentary.
The role of responsible opposition in a democracy is not merely to criticise. It is to hold the government to account while offering constructive alternatives and policy solutions. Unfortunately, much of Guyana’s opposition politics has become trapped in a cycle of negativity, in which every achievement is ignored, and every challenge is exaggerated for political gain.
Meanwhile, the Government continues to focus on major transformational projects to improve Guyanese citizens’ lives. These include the Gas-to-Energy initiative, infrastructure expansion, housing development, healthcare improvements, educational investments, and efforts to address electricity challenges, all of which form part of a broader national development vision.
No government is perfect, and every administration must be held accountable. However, accountability and endless blame are not the same. Guyanese citizens deserve a mature political discourse focused on solutions rather than on constant complaining.
The time has come for the Opposition to recognise a simple fact: repeated attacks on Dr Bharrat Jagdeo will not solve flooding, create jobs, improve the electricity supply, or develop the country. Guyana needs ideas, policies, and constructive leadership from the Opposition—not endless gossip, social media outrage, or political grandstanding.
Today, Guyana has as its opposition leader Azruddin Mohamed, a money launderer and gold smuggler wanted by US law enforcement authorities. This is the same man lecturing the government on maladministration and corruption. This opposition leader must first put his own house in order before accusing others.
As Guyana continues its rapid transformation, citizens will ultimately judge leaders not by the volume of criticism they attract, but by the results they achieve.