GUYANA | Civic Leaders Unite to demand Accountability

GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — As smoke from burning tires still lingered over Guyana's capital Tuesday, an extraordinary coalition of political enemies-turned-allies gathered to demand justice for an 11-year-old girl whose death has exposed the fault lines of a nation divided.

The killing of Adriana Younge has crystallized decades of simmering discontent, bringing together rivals from the Alliance For Change, the Assembly for Liberty & Prosperity Party, Vigilant For a New Guyana, The People's Movement, and even sitting Members of Parliament from the People's National Congress — groups that typically view each other with deep suspicion, if not outright hostility.

Among those who assembled were national figures such as Simona Broomes and Nigel London, their presence a testament to the gravity of the moment. The message was unmistakable: this tragedy transcends partisan politics.

"We stand united in condemning the excessive use of force against peaceful protesters, the stoking of racial intolerance, and the political exploitation of a nation's grief," the coalition declared, their words carrying the weight of a nation's rage.

But this is not merely about one tragic loss. This is about a system that treats poor and working-class youth as disposable — what Guyanese street slang calls "scrapes." The protests following Adriana's death have laid bare a police force that "shoots first and explains never."

The coalition's demands are bold, bordering on audacious in a political culture where such direct challenges to authority are rare: an investigation led by Scotland Yard, the RCMP, or the FBI — a stunning vote of no confidence in local institutions; the immediate removal of the Commissioner of Police, pending investigation; the establishment of an Independent Civilian Oversight Authority; criminal charges against the officer who shot and killed Keon Fogenay; and an end to using deadly force as a first resort.

These are not whispered suggestions but thunderous demands from a coalition that believes the government is "weaponizing fear" and "using unrest as a political tool to divide Guyanese."

The coalition's condemnation extends to the looters who exploited peaceful protests for personal gain, yet their harshest criticism is reserved for the broader system that "shoots first and explains never" and "criminalizes scrapes instead of cultivating their potential." Many of these leaders admit they were once dismissed as "scrapes" themselves — a powerful reminder of how quickly today's marginalized can become tomorrow's leaders.

"Now is the time to raise Guyana's youth — not as weapons, but as architects of the nation's future," they declared, offering perhaps the most hopeful vision to emerge from days of chaos.

This alliance represents something rarer than a blue diamond: unity born of necessity. These groups typically inhabit different universes, their mutual distrust as old as independence itself. That they stand together now suggests the ground has shifted beneath Guyana's political landscape.

The coalition insists they are "not calling for an end to protest" but "a rise in purpose." Their message to protesters is clear: continue, but with strategy. Continue, but with unity. Continue, but with demands that reach beyond one tragedy.

Because, as they pointedly note, "unless we change the culture, we will only rotate the faces in power while the system remains broken."

The signatories to this statement have thrown down the gauntlet. Whether Guyana's government will pick it up — or whether this unprecedented alliance can maintain its unity long enough to force change — remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: the death of Adriana Younge has awakened something in this nation that its leaders can no longer ignore.

As the coalition proclaimed, "Guyana must rise. And this time, it must rise for all."

The statement was signed by representatives from the Guyanese Patriots, Alliance For Change, Assembly for Liberty & Prosperity Party, Vigilant For a New Guyana, The People's Movement, Concerned Parliamentarians from the People's National Congress, and other civic leaders.

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