Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) executive Randolph “Randy” Critchlow is calling for a renewed focus on grassroots democracy, arguing that revitalising local government is essential to restoring civic participation and empowering a generation of young Guyanese who grew up with limited opportunities to engage in community governance.

In a letter titled “How the PPP Taught a Generation Not to Care,“ Critchlow reflects on Guyana’s democratic history while contending that the 22-year gap in local government elections between 1994 and 2016 weakened civic engagement and distanced many young people from the democratic process.

“You may think local government is a small thing. A matter of drains and dams, of potholes and parapets… the least of our democracy,” Critchlow wrote. “But I beg to differ.”