By Abena Rockcliffe
My first job was at Kaieteur News. I spent nine years there. That is where I fell in love with journalism. With my love for journalism, came my love for newspaper.
In 2019, I left Kaieteur News and have been attached to Guyana Standard ever since. It has not been easy for me. Guyana Standard might have been much further along had I stepped out of my comfort zone sooner. I approached online journalism as I operated in print. But the online audience is much different. They want shorter pieces. They like graphics and videos. They want to know more about you, not just the news. I have a long way to go, as I fight my own preferences. But journalism is my baby. I do not want to springboard onto anything else. So, to be successful, I know I have to adjust in ways I can manage and take my losses in areas I just cannot master.
It is the same for most other professions; you have to move with the time. Some businesses can adjust to modern day and some may become obsolete. In this regard, as well as many others, I do not envy politicians. Moving with the time, in politics is tough. Not so long back in the day, politics used to be more about a clean image, good character and abilities to craft good policies and deliver on promises. There is still an appetite for that in some quarters but generally, transactional politics is overriding traditional necessities. Back in the day, transactional politics was done at the very top, now voters are involved. It is less about building a country to be enjoyed and celebrated 10 years from now, and more about how one can benefit in the short term.
Some believe that PPP’s undeniable win is owed to the principles of transactional politics. In the 2025 election, people cared less about the revised Low Carbon Development Strategy (Road to 2030) and more about promises on the campaign trail; promises of a very merry Christmas, in the form of a cash grant. People valued the promise of more small contracts than any conversation about renewable energy. But PPP included both for good measure.
PPP is not the only party that seems to have benefitted from transactional politics. The greatest benefactor of transactional politics in Guyana’s sphere is WIN.
PPP/C’s brand of transactional politics was mostly tied to policy. Despite the fact that the President tied the cash grant to “good behavior”, the party had long discussed cash grants, giving reason and measure. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo spoke about these things several times, in detail back in the days of his weekly press conferences. But WIN officials hardly articulated policies. That movement had a different brand of transactional politics. Word on the street, Congress place and Freedom House is that WIN’s Leader spent an obscene amount of money on last years’ election and that money was not only for traditional campaign expenses.
Which leaves APNU. They are not in government to tie their transactions to policy and they do not have the wherewithal of a Mohamed. The challenge now is to adapt. If transactional politics is not an option, the APNU now has to figure how to not only survive, but to rebuild in a society focused on short term gains. Promises about policies may not work when so many still remember the actions of the Granger regime.
After the disgraceful defeat following Elections 2025, APNU’s Aubrey Norton said the party will carry out a comprehensive study that will focus on what went wrong and chart a way forward. Six months later, my understanding is that that study is yet to be completed and has no deadline.
