A blistering critique from political commentator GHK Lall has added fuel to growing calls for President Irfaan Ali’s resignation, as the fallout from the ongoing tax scandal-referred to by some as “Tax-gate”—continues to ripple across Guyana’s political landscape.
In a sharply worded op-ed today, Lall condemned what he sees as a degradation of the Office of the President (OP), asserting that recent events have tainted the integrity of Guyana’s highest office. “The president should resign,” Lall stated plainly, arguing that the situation is now beyond rehabilitation and warning of the long-term damage to public trust.
Central to Lall’s criticism is the allegation of undue proximity between the president and presidential hopeful, Azruddin Mohamed, who is implicated a tax controversy.
“Why is the president—any president—so close to anything of such a nature?” he questioned, referencing alleged communications and questionable access that suggest a disturbing level of familiarity with a donor now at the heart of the scandal. Lall pointed to archived social media content and circumstantial cues as evidence of the president’s perceived unfitness for office.
The incident Lall referenced involves allegations that President Irfaan Ali and Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo facilitated reduced clearance fees for a Lamborghini imported by businessman Azruddin Mohamed. In a Facebook post, Mohamed shared what he claims are messages between himself and President Ali, allegedly indicating the President’s involvement in seeking a reduction of tax obligations on the vehicle.
President Ali has denied any recollection of the exchanges. Meanwhile, Mohamed is currently facing legal action by the Guyana Revenue Authority, which accuses him of underpaying the required taxes on the luxury car. President Ali has since reiterated that he has no knowledge of the alleged conversation.
Lall’s call for accountability echoes concerns raised by Chartered Accountant and Attorney-at-Law Christopher Ram, who has criticised President Ali’s governance, particularly its impact on the integrity of the presidency. Ram has also condemned the President’s failure to renegotiate the 2016 oil agreement, despite campaigning on a promise to do so. He accuses Ali of hiding behind the doctrine of the sanctity of contract and of withholding critical reports, thereby failing to safeguard the country’s national interest.
“The president looks like tainted goods,” he wrote, describing a pattern of behavior that undermines the dignity expected of the presidency.
He also criticised those who defend the president, accusing them of cheapening public discourse and failing to uphold basic ethical standards. “Some can freely sell their virtues; though enriching, it’s still cheapening,” Lall remarked, calling on defenders to confront the facts rather than obfuscate them.
The commentator highlighted a broader cultural concern: how easily powerful figures, including donors and close associates, appear to access the OP. He pointed to the casual tone and nature of the alleged messages to the president as evidence of a troubling “custom and practice” within the corridors of power.
“What does it say,” he asked, “when a donor in what is now this Tax-gate obscenity has that degree of access, that casualness of association, that intimacy of relationship?”
Lall warned that such breaches erode both the credibility of the presidency and the ethical standards of governance. “Presidents who value their reputation shudder at the mere mention of their names in matters like this tax one,” he noted, adding that the very presence of the president’s name in these allegations is cause enough for immediate accountability.
In his final argument, Lall pointed to the staggering amounts in taxes allegedly lost, and the absence of accountability within state agencies like the Guyana Revenue Authority. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) claims that Mohamed undervalued the vehicle’s purchase price, declaring it at US$75,300, while the actual purchase price was US$695,000. This discrepancy allegedly resulted in a tax evasion of approximately GYD $371.8 million (US$1.8 million)
Lall said he has not “heard of one public servant… called to the carpet and tarred publicly,” questioning how such a major lapse could occur without internal consequences. “This is not the standard of salesmen or propagandists. But of leadership ethics,” Lall wrote.
He concluded his piece with a pointed question to the Guyanese people: “What is worse: the alleged involvement itself and the cost to the Treasury, or the appearance of a sitting president’s name dredged out of the OP’s cesspool?”
To that end, Lall argued that both Guyana and the Presidency could be spared further embarrassment if President Ali were to step down.
“Resign! Resign!” he declared.
