Dr. Ramsammy: Elections 2025 will be a referendum on national unity

Former Minister of Health and senior political commentator Dr. Leslie Ramsammy has strongly asserted that President Dr. Irfaan Ali’s unrelenting promotion of national unity has become one of the defining features of his administration, positioning the upcoming 2025 General and Regional Elections as a clear referendum on unity versus division in Guyana.
Dr. Ramsammy, a longstanding member of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and a respected figure in public health and development circles, said that the President’s One Guyana initiative is not merely political branding, but a deeply rooted policy philosophy that builds on the PPP’s historical commitment to inclusivity and national harmony since its founding in 1950.
“President Ali has made unity a cornerstone of national development,” Ramsammy stated. “He understands that building infrastructure, improving healthcare, expanding access to education, and lifting people out of poverty are all efforts that can only be successful when we move forward as One Guyana.”
According to Dr. Ramsammy, the PPP’s growing support among younger citizens—including those from traditional PNC strongholds—signals a generational shift away from racial politics and toward a shared national identity. He pointed to the 2023 Local Government Elections (LGE), where the PPP made significant electoral inroads in Georgetown, Linden, and New Amsterdam—areas historically dominated by the opposition.

“These shifts show that young people are embracing President Ali’s vision,” he noted. “They are rejecting division and choosing unity, progress, and inclusiveness.”
He described the results in New Amsterdam as particularly revealing, stating that the PPP was on the brink of defeating the PNC, something previously unthinkable in that municipality.
Dr. Ramsammy also weighed in on recent statements from Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, who declared that healing racial and ethnic divisions would be a top priority for the PNC-WPA coalition ahead of the 2025 elections.
While he welcomed the rhetoric, Dr. Ramsammy questioned the sincerity of the shift, citing the long history of race-based politics practiced by both the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Working People’s Alliance (WPA).
“If the opposition parties are serious, they must first acknowledge and apologize for their roles in perpetuating racial and ethnic division. Words are not enough,” Ramsammy stated, pointing to WPA executive David Hinds’ history of inflammatory and racially divisive comments.
Describing the PNC as historically entrenched in racial politics—from the 1960s through its most recent stint in office from 2015 to 2020—Dr. Ramsammy argued that the party suffers from a “trust deficit” among many Guyanese. He highlighted past slogans such as “Good Life for All” and “Feed, House and Clothe the Nation” as empty promises that often resulted in the opposite outcomes, contrasting them with the tangible policies and developmental achievements under the PPP.

“The only slogan the PNC successfully delivered on was ‘slow fyah, mo’ fyah’—and it was rooted in violence and ethnic targeting,” he said.
Dr. Ramsammy noted that this legacy has alienated even many of the PNC’s own supporters, particularly young people who are choosing to embrace national development over old political fault lines.
He emphasized that national unity is more than a moral imperative—it’s an economic one.
“Unity is not just a peace dividend; it’s a development strategy. President Ali sees a united Guyana as essential to lifting every citizen’s standard of living,” Ramsammy said, adding that investments in housing, health care, and infrastructure are being made with equity and inclusion at the forefront.
As Guyana prepares for the 2025 elections, Dr. Ramsammy said the choice could not be clearer.
“This election is not just about political parties—it’s about choosing unity over division, choosing progress over stagnation, and choosing a future where every Guyanese has a place.”