GEORGETOWN, Guyana – A social media post by a known activist and supporter of the governing People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has ignited a firestorm of controversy and fear, after it appeared to issue a veiled threat against Azzrudin Mohamed, the incoming Leader of the Opposition.
The post, allegedly made by vocal PPP social media personality Aaron Prince, features a portrait of the late Colombian presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galán with the caption: “Just gonna leave this here .. he got a ruff Ryde coming 😊”. The post includes a sub-caption identifying the man as “Galán in 1988,” one year before he was assassinated on the campaign trail in 1989 for his anti-corruption stance, a murder widely attributed to drug cartels working with corrupt political interests.
The post is widely interpreted as a direct and sinister warning directed at Azzrudin Mohamed, who is scheduled to be sworn in as the official Leader of the Opposition. The move has been met with visible hostility from the PPP government, which had vigorously opposed the appointment.
This development follows the high-profile arrest of both Mohamed and his father. Political analysts and sources close to the opposition allege the arrests were coordinated between the PPP government and US representatives, with the expectation that both men would be remanded without bail, thereby crippling the opposition’s leadership. The strategy, they claim, was to prevent Mohamed from assuming his constitutional role.
The use of Galán’s image adds a chilling layer to the threat. Galán was a charismatic reformist whose assassination eliminated a major political force in Colombia. The parallel drawn by the PPP supporter suggests that Mohamed faces a similar fate for his political ascendancy.
“This is no longer mere political rivalry; this is an open incitement to violence,” stated a spokesperson for Mohamed’s party, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisals. “To invoke the image of a politician murdered for his principles is a despicable act that reveals the dangerous lengths to which some will go. We hold the government responsible for creating the environment where such threats are considered acceptable.”
The post has sparked immediate outrage and calls for condemnation from civil society groups. They are demanding that authorities treat the post as a credible threat and investigate its author for incitement.
As of this reporting, the PPP leadership has not publicly commented on the social media post. The swearing-in ceremony for Azzrudin Mohamed is expected to proceed under a cloud of intense anxiety and heightened security concerns, with the ghost of a murdered Colombian politician now looming over Guyanese politics.
