OPINION: WIN’s Odessa Primus: the woman of the moment, a star probably

Last Updated on Friday, 6 February 2026, 22:03 by Writer

By GHK Lall

The We Invest In Nationhood (WIN) political party may be in safer hands than once thought. It is not a one-man outfit. Not giving any indication of being one of Guyana’s long list of fly-by-nights, in the fashion of those grounded airlines that soared high, only to nosedive into the dirt. I know many who got left stranded, holding onto their hopes, then lost those, too. Enter Ms. Odessa Primus, she of WIN. My conclusions: a star of considerable potential. The government and other opposition may be in for more of a rollicking time than they conceived. Azruddin Mohamed goes down and out. Odessa Primus goes up and goes hunting for heads.

Guyana needs that kind of fresh face. I assure all that there is no hidden meaning there. In her budget debate, the first reading came for me. Ms. Primus is a deliverer with energy and passion. A Demerara Waves caption stated that “Primus roasts govt on lack of policy at Culture, Youth, and Sport Ministry” (Feb 06, 2026). Who needs policy when they are the holders of all the power? And the power of the purse in their hands, to boot? The PPP Govt may not have policy at the Culture, Youth, and Sport Ministry, but then again it may not have any policy at any portfolio under its management. There is GuySuCo. There is how to deal sensibly and equitably with the nation’s oil money. Whether the Ali-Jagdeo axis has any policy of substance anywhere may not matter to them. But they have Odessa Primus standing before them, and she is not yielding an inch. As a quick aside, where is Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo? Surely, he can’t take more holidays, and longer ones than the Speaker. What is his story? I hope that it is a good one, one that comforts me and other Guyanese. (More on this to follow later).

I think Ms. Primus gives every indication that she is of the genuine article. I first noted that during the brouhaha (hanky-panky) with the sniffling, cowardly commercial banks of Guyana, and the closure of accounts. The comrade from WIN stood tall, made her voice heard, and served notice that she will be a force to reckon with, one drawing ever closer from over the horizon. Well, she has arrived just in time for the 2026 budget debate and she couldn’t have made a more conspicuous contribution to what passes for debate. I ask myself what the people in the British House of Commons would think if they took the time to watch and listen to a session of Guyana’s budget debate on the move. Ms. Primus would have given a sliver of value for their time, interest, and money.

Where there was the lackluster, she lit a bonfire. Where there was the dreary and the dismal that Guyanese are so accustomed to, WIN’s Ms. Primus drove a stake into those beasts and set the scenery agog with heat. I am guardedly optimistic about her prospects. After all, it must never be forgotten how crooked is the battlefield that is political Guyana. Never as much as when there is the call for real combat with a treacherous government that betrays and sells out the trust of the Guyanese people.

The PPP Govt (and leadership) in its fevered and twisted visions harbor the idea that if the main man, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed is sent packing, then it can take over the whole town, command the entire narrative, and own all the people. Though the days are young, it seems that Ms. Primus has other ideas. Should push come to shove, Mohamed may be on his way out the door. But Odessa Primus has shown that she has what it takes to carry the torch a little, if not a considerable, distance more. I foresee and I foretell what I call the law of unintended consequences. The best laid bed of nails for Mohamed, but a ring of fire it will have to be to get past Ms. Primus. It is either there’s a star in waiting, or a star is already born, or a star that could be on her way to rising.

Now look at what the PPP for all its great cunning went and did. Like the conspirators in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, the head of WIN could be laid out on the carpet. Ms. Odessa Primus may not be gifted (as yet) with the magical rabblerousing, perorational dazzle of Mark Antony, but she will get there, given time.