-by Samuel Sukhnandan
Vice President and General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, has paid tribute to former Opposition Leader and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Leader Robert Corbin, describing him as a political figure who was willing to challenge longstanding divisions in pursuit of national unity.
Speaking at Corbin’s Night of Reflection on Wednesday evening at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Jagdeo recalled their efforts to build trust and cooperation between Guyana’s two major political parties, despite decades of political rivalry and racial tensions.
Jagdeo revealed that during his presidency, senior representatives of the PPP and PNC had begun discussions on Guyana’s political future, but those engagements eventually collapsed amid accusations that Corbin was compromising his party’s interests.
He strongly rejected suggestions that the former opposition leader had been a political puppet or had sold out to the PPP.
“Robert Corbin defended his party fiercely in every engagement we’ve had,” Jagdeo declared, describing him as a committed advocate for the PNC who also recognised the importance of putting Guyana’s national interests first.
Jagdeo told the gathering that Corbin understood the complexities of government and was prepared to take political risks to bridge divisions that had persisted for generations.
The Vice President also warned that Guyana’s traditional political parties must adapt to changing attitudes, particularly among younger generations, or risk becoming increasingly disconnected from the people they represent.
He argued that the country’s future would require greater political maturity, inclusivity and cooperation across party lines.
“We believe that the future of Guyana would involve, at some level and some fashion, whatever that framework may be, these parties working together,” Jagdeo said.
Reflecting on Corbin’s legacy, Jagdeo suggested that Guyana’s political landscape might have been different had their efforts at cooperation succeeded.
“Our country is poorer because he’s no longer here with us,” he said, adding, “I genuinely miss him and his thinking.”
Jagdeo extended condolences to Corbin’s family, friends and colleagues, saying history would remember the former opposition leader as someone who recognised the need for a different approach to politics long before such thinking became widely accepted.
Corbin, who died on October 4 at age 78, served as Deputy Prime Minister under the PNC administration from 1985 to 1992, before later becoming Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), which he led until 2012.
