Replying toJagdeo’s overtures to APNU may represent revealing moment in Guyana’s political evolutionLetter 2 of 2

Politics 101, not desperation

Dr Tilokie Depoo

October 24, 2026·3 min read

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Oct 19, 2026KW

Jagdeo’s overtures to APNU may represent revealing moment in Guyana’s political evolutionHadiyyah Mohamed

Oct 24, 2026GC

Politics 101, not desperation

Dr Tilokie Depoo

Dear Editor,

Hadiyyah Mohamed’s letter, “Jagdeo’s political desperation and the PPP’s fear of a changing Guyana,” reveals more about the writer’s grasp of politics than about Jagdeo.

Her claim that Jagdeo’s willingness to engage APNU signals desperation and fear of WIN is nonsense. Seeking support is not desperation, it is Politics 101, as parties win by broadening their base.

What troubles Ms Mohamed is not that Vice-president Jagdeo is talking to APNU, but that voters who left APNU for WIN might look elsewhere. WIN does not own those voters nor does the PPP or APNU.

Support is earned, not inherited. The irony is hard to miss when WIN attracts APNU supporters, it’s a “political awakening”; when the PPP reaches for those same voters, it’s a “threat to democracy.” You cannot have it both ways.

Her reading of Jagdeo’s interaction with APNU at Robert Corbin’s wake^[1] is equally telling. She sees manoeuvring where others might see dialogue between parties that have fought for decades, a hostility Guyana has paid dearly for.

Someone calling for a new political culture should welcome dialogue between old opponents, not condemn it simply because Jagdeo is involved.

Her most naive claim is that alliances become problematic when intended to weaken a rival. What does she think parties do, exchange Christmas cards?

Parties compete, build alliances, recruit supporters, and strengthen their electoral positions. That is democracy at work. If WIN cannot withstand ordinary competition, it should spend less time complaining about Jagdeo and more time building an organisation that retains its supporters.

She also implies that because Azruddin Mohamed holds the constitutional office of leader of the opposition, others must refrain from weakening his influence.

The office deserves respect, but it grants no monopoly on opposition politics. Jagdeo is free to speak with APNU, and APNU with whomever it chooses, neither needs WIN’s blessing.

On corruption, Ms Mohamed has much to say about the PPP, fair enough. But it takes a special blindness to lecture the country on accountability, while ignoring that the United States is seeking WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed’s extradition on serious criminal charges^[2].

He is entitled to the presumption of innocence, but accountability cannot be a one-way street and WIN should explain what it stands for beyond opposing Jagdeo.

WIN’s leadership also confuses social-media attention with durable support. Likes, viral videos, and cheering crowds do not translate into votes, much less the ability to govern. Building a party is not the same as building a following.

I agree with Ms Mohamed that Guyanese demand a new political culture but it must include civility, respect for opponents, and acceptance that disagreement does not make someone an enemy.

Those standards apply to the Mohameds and WIN as much as to Jagdeo and the PPP. Guyanese are tired of mudslinging. They want solutions, politicians who can explain what they will do, how, and at what cost. Attacking Jagdeo is not a programme of government.

Her prediction that Jagdeo’s days are numbered is opinion, not election result. The electorate decides, not Ms Mohamed, not WIN’s social-media supporters, not those who mistake the loudest noise for the greatest support.

WIN has every right to seek to replace the PPP. The PPP has an equal right to defend its support, seek new supporters, and explore co-operation. What Ms Mohamed cannot accept is that the same rules apply to everyone.

Her letter reveals WIN’s anxiety about losing support far more than any desperation on Jagdeo’s part. If WIN fears its supporters are slipping away, it should give them reasons to stay, not accuse competitors of undermining democracy.

Politics is not for the thin skinned, nor is it a Facebook popularity contest. No party has a transport on the votes of the Guyanese people. Those votes must be earned, election after election. That is a lesson Ms. Mohamed and WIN’s leadership would do well to learn.

Yours sincerely,
Dr Tilokie Depoo

References

OPINION: Bharrat Jagdeo at Robert Corbin’s gathering – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana — demerarawaves.com ↩
US-sanctioned Mohameds not immune from criminal charges despite ongoing extradition case – AG - Guyana Times — guyanatimesgy.com ↩

Jagdeo’s overtures to APNU may represent revealing moment in Guyana’s political evolution

Hadiyyah Mohamed

OPINION: Bharrat Jagdeo at Robert Corbin’s gathering – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana

demerarawaves.com · 2026-10-16

Bharrat Jagdeo ... Robert Corbin’ ... News ... # OPINION: Bharrat Jagdeo at Robert Corbin’s gathering by Gabriel "GHK" Lall Saturday, 17 October 2026, 15:48 Last Updated on Saturday, 17 October 2026, 15:48 by Writer > by GHK Lall It was Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo at his best. Mellowness amid a moment of mourning. A figure and contributor at his most solemn in an hour of reflection to honour the passing of Robert H. O. Corbin, Esq, MP, Deputy Prime Minister, and Opposition Leader. Let there be no mistake, it was Dr. Jagdeo in the flesh, and coming to a place that has long been part of the quest of many Guyanese patriots. ... “We believe that the future of Guyana would involve at some level and some fashion, whatever that framework may be, these parties working together. They have to, of necessity. That’s when this country can accomplish all the dreams of those who had to flee this country and seek a better fortune elsewhere and the dreams of those who are living here now. That’s how we’d achieve it.” ... Listen to some more to him: “ Trust me, the country needs now a new form of enlightened thinking. And a new approach to solving issues.” Since this former president can be mellow, so can I. What’s the use of reminding him, or any Guyanese, that other Guyanese have been about that enlightened thinking since around the beginning of this millennium, if not before? What’s the point of dredging up adversarial visions, of taking away the PPP plums, diluting its victories, and doing so via the backdoor? The fact that Dr. Jagdeo chose the opportunity of a tribute to the departed Robert Corbin to say what he said gives even more resonance to what is now before Guyanese to dissect and interpret. I have always believed that Bharrat Jagdeo and Robert Corbin knew how to do business together, at least they had some form of understanding on how to coexist, without the country becoming unglued. It shows in that tribute. What could be more fitting to the Jagdeo-Corbin Manifesto? ... As an aside, the spirit of a truly great Guyanese left these shores to rejoin his ancestors after a century of years, plus one. Interestingly, not a word, not a pause, not even a nod of awareness from Excellencies Ali or Jagdeo, or any of that assembly of PPP dignitaries. It was not Babu John and PPP Founder Cheddi. It was Liliendaal and Robert, PNC leader. It is inspiring, though, that whatever he stood for, through thunder and lightning, there was Dr. Jagdeo at the Arthur Chung Convention Center standing at his fullest height and deluging his audience with the unexpected. Please do not spoil the moment by letting deluging be mistaken for deluding. ... Separ ... I ... heard ... General Secretary Jagdeo ... seeking partnership with ... PNC to vanquish the formidable electoral ... posed by ... Azr ... Mohamed’ ... WIN. ... a wedge ... up a pledge. It’s the fine art of politics. The vice president may have learned that from his years in ... local political trenches. Then again, there were those years that he spent ... Lum ... U ... snowy Ste ... . There are always ... fighters ... stealth operators ... that campus ... flank a serious menace. Better to link arms with the ... that’s known ... deal ... swamp

US-sanctioned Mohameds not immune from criminal charges despite ongoing extradition case – AG - Guyana Times

guyanatimesgy.com · 2026-10-22

#### Despite the ongoing extradition proceedings, United States-sanctioned and indicted Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed is not exempt from facing criminal charges in Guyana. Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall #### Attorney General (AG) and Legal Affairs Minister, Anil Nandlall, clarified that the previous charges against Mohamed were dropped because they were directly linked to the offences for which he and his father, Nazar Mohamed, are wanted in the US. “Charges were withdrawn earlier because they related to the indictment in the United States,” Nandlall explained during his programme “Issues in the News” on Tuesday evening. “The treaty between Guyana and the US speaks to locally instituted charges vis-à-vis the extradition proceedings, and it is up to the requested state, it is up to Guyana, to determine what decisions it will make at the time of the extradition,” he added. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) had dropped all local income tax evasion and gold export tax charges against the Mohameds in November 2025, after the US formally requested that the father-and-son duo be extradited. The charges had alleged that the duo understated billions of dollars in taxable income from gold exports between 2020 and 2024. The US is seeking the Mohameds on an 11-count indictment involving conspiracy, wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering, connected to an alleged US$50 million gold export and tax evasion scheme. ... United States-sanctioned and indicted Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed an father Nazar Mohamed ... Attorneys at court ... #### The Opposition Leader, along with two staff members, was recently charged with unlawful firearm possession, unlawful ammunition possession, and attempting to obstruct justice following an incident outside the home of Head of the Special Branch Unit of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Prem Narine, who is a key witness in the ongoing extradition case before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Nandlall explained that “the charges that have been filed were filed as a result of the investigations done and advice given by the Director of Public Prosecutions as the law and constitution prescribe. Government don’t charge people, I keep saying that over and over again…that is a function of constitutional agencies and statutory bodies such as the Guyana Police Force, the Director of Public Prosecutions, GRA, and all these other statutory bodies.” He added that “these charges have no relationship with the indictment in the United States.” Nandlall said it is a misperception that the Mohameds cannot face charges locally because of the ongoing extradition case. “It cannot be the law that because a person is subject to extradition proceedings, they can do as they wish; they can violate the laws with impunity. No legal system will [allow] that,” he noted. In the recent charges, Mohamed and his employees were granted $750,000 bail each after they pleaded not guilty to the offences. The obstruction charge alleges that on October 12, at Barr Street, Kitty, the men wilfully attempted to obstruct the administration of justice by discharging a firearm at or in the vicinity of Narine’s residence. The firearm and ammunition charges relate to an alleged possession of a .32 Taurus pistol and three rounds of ammunition without valid licences on October 13 at Alexander Street, Kitty. As part of their bail conditions, the men must attend every court hearing, reside at the addresses provided to the court and report any change of address. They must also keep their contact details updated, surrender their passports and other travel documents, and inform the court before applying for replacement travel documents. They are further required to stay away from Narine’s residence and are prohibited from traversing Barr Street between Vlissengen Road and Alexander Street, Georgetown. They are also required to not directly or indirectly contact, threaten, intimidate, or attempt to influence any prosecution witness. Additionally, they were instructed not to obstruct or interfere with the work of the prosecution and not contact Prem Narine or his immediate family. Meanwhile, Mohamed and his father remain on $150,000 bail each in relation to the extradition case.

Politics 101, not desperation — Dr Tilokie Depoo — Opinion