Imagining a different apology from Volda Lawrence's in the spirit of one people one nation one destiny

Demerara Waves reported that on 25 November, 2018 , Chairman of the People's National Congress Reform and Minister of Public Health, Comrade Volda Ann Lawrence, had addressed her party colleagues with the comments "“The only friends I got is PNC so the only people I gon give wuk to is PNC and right now I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese and ah want one that is PNC,”

There are objections to the statement. At the same time, Volda Lawrence's PNC friends and supporters used the opportunity to dig up all that was bad about the PPP and the other people who objected. So her supporters saw nothing wrong with the statement because the PPP had done worse.

There was a statement which the Guyana Chronicle published in which Comrade Lawrence writing in the third person,  did not apologise.


I am not offended by the comments from Comrade Lawrence. The expression of the comments  is an opportunity to fix part of the brokenness of Guyana.

I am glad that Comrade Volda Ann Lawrence spoke from her heart and talked her mind. I hope she keeps doing that as elections come up. NO more politeness about love and unity.

I had signed a petition that Minister Lawrence should go after her appalling response to the child abuse allegations against her comrade, Winston Harding.



I have not been good at apologies or saying sorry, and I do not accept apologies which do not not offer redemptive actions. People in the coalition government have been 'saying sorry' every now and then , Volda Lawrence apologised on behalf of Simona Broomes recently.

I think apologies should be structured like this model proposed in the Greater Good Magazine published by the Greater Good Science Centre at University of California , Berkley.

There are three steps in the apology

1. Tell them what you feel
2.  Admit your (mistakes) and the negative impact it had
3. Make the situation right, offer redemptive actions, and how to avoid repeating mistakes


So this is what I wish Comrade Volda Ann Lawrence could have said in her apology

My name is Volda Lawrence.
Step 1.
Over the last 30 plus years, I have given service to my people and country. I have fought for my fellow countrymen and women known and unknown, irrespective of their class, creed or political affiliation. I have fought for freedom, equal rights and justice. The rhetoric attributed to me over the last few days, is not reflective of who I am as a person or leader.

I have learned that as a leader I must be cognizant of what I say and do, and must not allow emotions or political fervour to get in the way. On 25 November, 2018, I addressed my followers and said that "The only friends I got is PNC so the only people I gon give wuk to is PNC and right now I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese and ah want one that is PNC,".

I regret making these comments. I humbly apologize for the further division which my comments have caused.

Step 2.
I realise that my supporters stood by me and they brought up the wrongs of the PPP as a way to stand by me. I recognise that PNC supporters believe that it is the policy of the PNC to give jobs and contracts to their friends and supporters only. I know that people expect different from my government than from the PPP.

Step 3.
I urge my supporters to share this apology. I urge my supporters to hold all of us accountable to make sure we are not repeating the mistakes of the PPP. I urge my friends who are not PNC to hold me accountable every time I say something which they know is not how I have been acting over the last 30 years. I remain open to scrutiny of my hiring practices and the procurement practices within the Ministry of Public Health to show that I am giving jobs and contracts to people regardless of their political affiliations.

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We are reminded many times that we have little experience of conflict transformation and restorative justice. We need to move beyond 'saying sorry' , especially when mistakes are being repeated and the underlying feelings remain the same and more mistakes will be made.