Dear Editor,
MUCH has been said about the WIN party and the “cut and paste” nature of its policies – easily detected from a cursory glance.
However, lesser known is the nature of the convergence with the formal opposition parties. For analytical purposes, ANUG is not considered under this grouping. ANUG is dead.
Following nomination day, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton dismissed WIN’s procession as being a paid crowd. Although believable, was this Norton being reflective of his own political engagement with Mohamed?
Several months ago, it appeared that both PNC Leader Norton and AFC Leader Nigel Hughes were courting the company of Azruddin Mohamed. In March of this year, the Mohamed family met Nigel Hughes at his law office.
First the excuse given was “legal consultation” – but it was later disclosed that Raphael Trotman was present to provide “professional political advice”.
Later, in May, Norton himself refused to rule out a possible coalition with Mohamed, saying “never say never” and when drilled on the possible risks of association he said: “Anything you do in life has negatives and positives, including embracing Mohameds.” For someone who was literally blocked from receiving funds by Money Gram due to AML/CFT regulations, this was rather bizarre.
Then, one must look at WIN’s head table from their press conference. Mohamed was flanked by Former Minister of State, Dawn Hastings- Williams and Former MP Natasha Singh – both from the PNC, as well as former APNU Minister Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, as well as a disgruntled former GUYSUCO employee.
Many months ago, Mohamed himself ruled out any form of coalition with the PPP or the PNC.
But his own executive seemed directly lifted from the annals of Congress Place’s political machinery.
And while WIN Candidate Hadiyyah Mohamed touted months ago that the Mohameds were firmly on the side of democracy, his own executive was drawn from the very government that tried to subvert it.
When asked about this fact, Azruddin mumbled a semi-coherent: “We’re moving forward” – spurring cheers from his press conference audience. Of note is that PPP GS Jagdeo firmly stated that any crossover to the PPP would have to accept and acknowledge the 2020 APNU rigging attempt – placing the onus on the APNU top brass to do the same.
Moreover, David Hinds, known for his “lick bamzy” sermons, has avoided directly addressing the addition of Sarabo-Halley to WIN: his own daughter.
What was the true nature of APNU’s engagement with WIN? Was there a quid pro quo arrangement – or even worse – a financial one? Reducing an institution as large as the APNU/PNC to a shady backroom deal isn’t just an affront to their own support base – but to Guyanese politics itself.
Opposition parties are sacrosanct for a truly competitive democracy. If Aubrey Norton is truly interested in rebuilding the PNC/R then he must finally disclose the nature of his dealings with Mohamed.
For months, there was zero comment from the PNC on Mohamed. Silence. Not a single word on the dangerous implications of a Mohamed candidacy.
Not a single utterance on the accusations of smuggling Venezuelan gold, drug trafficking and tax evasion. Instead, they were considering a formal alliance back in May. Just on August 10, Norton said in Ithaca that he was “ not commenting yet. I’m watching,” in relation to Azruddin taking away from the PNC’s base. This was a clear sign of a political leader failing to read the room, unaware of the rug slipping from under his feet.
With election day drawing near, only now WIN seems to have invoked the ire of the PNC/R. Too little, too late. The damage has already been done.
If the PNC hoped that this apparent alliance with WIN would’ve cut the PPP’s majority – then by now one thing is clear: It has become their own undoing.