Young newcomer at centre of national conversations

November 13, 20262 min read

Dear Editor,

Like many citizens following the recent proceedings in Guyana’s National Assembly, I have been reflecting on the November 11 swearing-in of 24-year-old Hadiyyah Mohamed as a Member of Parliament and Shadow Minister of Natural Resources for the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party. Depending on one’s political perspective, the event reads either as gripping political theatre or as a significant test of our institutional norms.

The surrounding circumstances are undeniably complex. As local news outlets and court filings have reported, Hadiyyah entered Parliament while her older brother, WIN leader and Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed, remained on remand at Lusignan Prison in connection with a cybercrime case involving leaked CCTV footage, even as he contests a U.S. extradition request over federal fraud, bribery, and money laundering indictments.^[1] When she used her maiden remarks to call for his immediate release, her legislative arrival became closely intertwined with her family’s legal battles.

Critics, rival lawmakers, and political commentators in Georgetown have argued that this appointment resembles dynastic politics rather than standard parliamentary succession. They have pointed out the optics of assigning her the Natural Resources shadow portfolio, which oversees scrutiny of our oil, mining, and forestry sectors, given that the U.S. Department of the Treasury previously sanctioned the Mohamed family’s business enterprise, including a company bearing her name, over allegations of gold smuggling and tax evasion.^[2] To these detractors, the move looks like an effort to keep party control tightly within the family while its leader is detained.

On the other hand, WIN party officials and supporters offer a very different interpretation, viewing the milestone as a step forward for generational representation and organizational continuity.^[3] In public statements, both party representatives and Hadiyyah herself have rejected accusations of building a political dynasty, pointing instead to her academic background in governance research, and her community charity work. From their perspective, she is stepping up to ensure the opposition’s bench remains active during a challenging period.

Ultimately, whether observers view this moment as prime-time drama or as a debate over accountability and youth representation, it places a young newcomer at the centre of vital national conversations about governance, resource management, and the future of our opposition.

Sincerely,
Keith Bernard

References

Azruddin Mohamed Remains Jailed As His 24-Year-Old Sister Enters Guyana Parliament - Guyana Inquirer – Daily Guyana Newsguyanainquirer.com ↩
Treasury Targets Corruption Network in Guyana | U.S. Department of the Treasuryhome.treasury.gov ↩
Hadiyyah Mohamed sworn in as WIN MPkiskadeewatch.com ↩

Azruddin Mohamed Remains Jailed As His 24-Year-Old Sister Enters Guyana Parliament - Guyana Inquirer – Daily Guyana News

guyanainquirer.com, Nov 12, 2026

Her entry into Parliament comes as her brother remains on remand at Lusignan Prison in connection with a separate cybercrime case involving allegations over the unauthorized acquisition and dissemination of CCTV footage from Guyana’s Safe City initiative. He is due back before the court on November 24. ... Azruddin Mohamed was remanded on October 30 after being charged alongside Police Constable Ryan Greene over allegations that CCTV footage was unlawfully obtained from the Police Command Centre and supplied to Mohamed in exchange for $800,000. Both men were denied bail in that matter. Mohamed is also facing extradition proceedings and other separate criminal cases. He remains on bail in the extradition matter after a magistrate rejected a prosecution application to revoke that bail, but he remains in custody in the cybercrime case. His lawyers have separately pursued relief in the High Court, where questions over the form of the bail application and the conditions of his detention have been argued.

Treasury Targets Corruption Network in Guyana | U.S. Department of the Treasury

home.treasury.gov, Jun 11, 2024

Hadiyyah Mohamed sworn in as WIN MP

kiskadeewatch.com, Nov 13, 2026

Hadiyyah Sumaya Mohamed was sworn in as a Member of Parliament on Wednesday, taking up the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) seat vacated by Dr Andre Lewis. At 24, she becomes the youngest member of the National Assembly. Speaker Manzoor Nadir told the House that Lewis had resigned with effect from October 7. He said the Representation of the People Act required the vacancy to be filled by a candidate from the same list. Nadir said he had asked the representative of the WIN list to submit a name and was subsequently informed that Mohamed had been declared a member of the National Assembly on November 10. Mohamed took the oath before the Clerk, as required under Article 167 of the Constitution, pledging to carry out her duties “without fear or favour, affection or ill will.” Nadir welcomed her to the Thirteenth Parliament and acknowledged her mother and sister, who were present. Prime Minister Mark Phillips also welcomed her on behalf of the government benches. Mohamed, a sister of Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, told Kiskadee Watch ahead of the sitting that she would serve as shadow minister of natural resources. She said she intended to scrutinise how revenues from oil and mining are used, which communities benefit and what protections are in place for people who depend on forests and rivers. “Guyana’s natural heritage, biodiversity, forests, rivers and Indigenous communities must never become collateral damage in the pursuit of economic growth,” she said. Mohamed spent six years in the United Kingdom, where she earned a first-class honours degree in journalism from Edinburgh Napier University and a master’s degree in global social and political thought from the University of St Andrews. Her work includes a documentary project on Guyana’s Wai Wai community. Asked about criticism that her entry into Parliament made WIN a family affair, Mohamed said the same standards should apply across party lines and that voters should judge her by her work in the Assembly and her representation of constituents.

Source

Young newcomer at centre of national conversations in Kiskadee Watch, November 13, 2026