By Kurt Campbell
Kurt@newsroom.gy
Long known as a bastion of opposition support where the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) once struggled to muster even a handful of votes, Golden Grove on Tuesday evening presented a strikingly different scene, one that many see as a symbol of changing times and shifting loyalties on the East Coast corridor.
Where once the PPP/C’s meetings there would be disrupted, heckled, broken up, or simply ignored, Tuesday’s rally drew a crowd that was vastly different than the times when the party manage to squeeze but just a few votes fom this community.
Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony engages party supporters in Golden Grove
At the 2020 General and Regional Elections, the PPP/C secured just about 17 votes from Golden Grove at the national polls and 19 in the regional ballot — a minuscule figure compared to the APNU+AFC’s overwhelming hold that netted over 4,000 votes in the wider Haslington/Nabacalis area, which includes Golden Grove.
Yet on Tuesday evening, as red flags fluttered and speakers fired up supporters from a packed stage, the reception told a new story — one of a village beginning to embrace change and openly entertaining the once-unthinkable: that the PPP/C could be part of its political future.
An engagement between PPP/C reps and villagers in Golden Grove
A WELCOME ONCE DENIED
Party stalwart and former Member of Parliament Gillian Burton-Persaud captured the significance in her address: “We had a lot of disruption and breaking up of meetings in the past…
“Today, I am happy to see the welcome that the PPP/C has received here in Golden Grove. It tells us we are doing a good job — and that good job is recognised and appreciated.”
For villagers like Samuel Sandy, a self-declared crossover from the PNC-led APNU, the tide is indeed turning. Reflecting on the days when the PPP/C might receive just “one or two votes” in a polling place, Sandy told News Room that people are no longer burying their heads in the sand.
Samuel Sandy
“People see what is happening; they can make decisions for themselves. When you do something good for the people, you should be celebrated,” he said.
“Even if you gain one additional vote in a place like this, it is success worth seventy elsewhere.”
Sandy, who described himself as a “homegrown supporter” of the PNC for most of his life, said the decision to switch was not made lightly but was born out of what he called “undeniable progress” he’s witnessed in his own community.
“When you live here all your life and you see new roads, better drainage, young people getting house lots — you can’t pretend it’s not happening,” he said.
He added that while some still fear being labelled, more residents are quietly discussing the need to “vote for development” rather than party loyalty.
“I know many more like me — they might not say it loud yet, but come September, they will say it with their X,” Sandy said with a grin.
MOVING WITH THE TIDE OF CHANGE
The message at Tuesday’s rally was clear: the PPP/C is asking communities like Golden Grove to judge it not by the echoes of the past but by its promises delivered and its vision for what’s next.
Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony, headlining the event, pointed to the visible transformation taking place not just in Golden Grove but along the entire East Coast corridor — from better healthcare and education to expanded infrastructure and housing.
“We want to ensure this progress continues, but we need another five years to deliver more world-class healthcare, more schools, more roads, more house lots for your families,” Dr. Anthony urged, his voice echoing over a sea of supporters.
“Judge us on what we promised, what we delivered, and where we are taking this country next.”
A SYMBOL OF A NEW GUYANA
For a party once branded an outsider in this community, Tuesday’s warm embrace symbolised more than just an election rally — it signalled the quiet erosion of entrenched political walls that have long defined the country’s voting map.
Burton-Persaud summed it up best: “We are a party that doesn’t look back; we look forward. Our motto is ‘Forward Together for a Better Guyana’. We believe every child, woman and man must be taken to that place of comfort, happiness and well-being they so long for.”
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Kurt Campbell, a journalist who grew up in Golden Grove, lived and schooled there for over 20 years and witnessed first-hand the village’s political shifts across at least four election cycles.
The post Golden Grove welcomes PPP/C in shift from past hostility appeared first on News Room Guyana.
