Foreign Secretary and Chairman of the National Protected Areas Commission, Robert Persaud, has objected to the recently formed, We Invest in Nationhood political party, using the face of the jaguar as its symbol for the upcoming elections.

The jaguar is considered the national animal of Guyana, but is not among the national symbols listed in Guyana’s Constitution. The WIN party was founded by billionaire businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, who is contesting the upcoming elections.

In a statement on Thursday night, Persaud referred to the jaguar as one of the national symbols and stated that those symbols reflect the shared history, culture, and pride of the country. He said using them for political purposes undermines their meaning and divides the very people they’re meant to unite.

The WIN party is not the first political party to use the jaguar as a political symbol. The now defunct Rise Organise And Roar party, which was founded by Indian Rights activist, Ravi Dev, used a rampant jaguar inside the map of Guyana as its symbol when it contested national elections two decades ago. There were no objections to the use of the national animal as a party symbol back then.

But Persaud, who is a former Executive of the ruling People’s Progressive Party, insists that the Jaguar is more than a powerful animal, “as it speaks to who we are as Guyanese; resilient and deeply rooted to this land. For generations, the Jaguar has stood as a symbol of national strength and unity”.

Persaud said turning this “national symbol” into a party logo strips it of that shared meaning and tries to turn it into something small, partisan, and representing only a few”.

He said instead of turning the Jaguar into a hollow political brand, there is need for the honouring of national symbols by keeping them where they belong, with all the people of Guyana.

Guyana’s national flower, the Victoria Regia Lily, is used as the symbol for The Citizenship Initiative party, which contested the 2020 elections.

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