By Timothy Hendricks- In Guyana, where oil wealth surges like the mighty Essequibo River yet trickles unevenly to its people, a timeless truth echoes: man to man is so unjust. Under President Mohamed Irfaan Ali’s People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) regime, this injustice plays out in a relentless assault on Azruddin Mohamed, leader of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party and Leader of the Opposition. Branded a “fugitive offender” and deemed unfit for high office, Azruddin stands accused by the United States of money laundering, wire fraud, tax evasion, and smuggling gold-evading over $50 million in duties owed to Guyana. His father, Nazar Mohamed, shares these indictments.
Yet, as Bob Marley wisely warned, hypocrites and parasites will come up and take a bite. The PPP/C’s feigned outrage crumbles under scrutiny of their own tainted record. Clumsily positioning themselves as champions of transparency and good governance, they harbour officials dogged by serious allegations and formal charges, all while clinging to power. The irony bites deep: decrying Azruddin’s fitness for leadership, the PPP/C turns a blind eye to its own skeletons, letting allies come up and take a bite of the nation’s bounty without repercussion. This glaring double standard erodes public trust and perpetuates a parasitic political culture, where accountability is weaponised against real and perceived foes but ignored for friends.
Take President Irfaan Ali himself. In 2019, on the cusp of his presidency, Guyana’s Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU) hit him with 19 counts of conspiracy and fraud. The charges alleged he orchestrated the underselling of 19 state land plots in Demerara-Mahaica- valued at over GY$212 million- for a paltry GY$39.8 million to cronies in government, defrauding the state of GY$174 million. These weren’t trifling claims; they exposed potential systemic plunder of public assets. Dismissed in August 2019 amid cries of political vendetta, the case vanished without a trial or clear exoneration, leaving shadows of doubt. Today, Ali navigates Guyana’s oil boom as its leader, unchallenged on these stains. If such shadows deem Azruddin “unfit,” why spare the PPP/C’s own chief? As Marley might say, who the cap fit, let them wear it.
This selective blindness extends to Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, the PPP/C’s enduring powerhouse and former president, whose shadow often looms larger than Ali’s. A 2020 Vice News exposé implicated Jagdeo in bribery, greenwashing, and corruption linked to Chinese investors, raising alarms over undue sway in Guyana’s resource deals. Jagdeo branded it baseless hearsay and sued for defamation, but no independent probe ensued. He endures as the regime’s architect, molding policies on energy, finance, and beyond – despite a government touting environmental integrity amid its fossil fuel frenzy. Opposition critics decry this as classic shielding: the PPP/C amplifies accusations against rivals like Azruddin while burying their own, proving once more that man to man is so unjust.
The rot seeps further into the ranks. Senior Minister of Finance Dr. Ashni Singh faces persistent murmurs of procurement impropriety, though uncharged. Ministers Susan Rodrigues (Housing and Water) and Zulfikar Mustapha (Agriculture) endure public outcries over corrupt contract awards and resource mismanagement, met with silence rather than scrutiny.
In 2025, Jagdeo scoffed at reports of potential U.S. sanctions on PPP/C ministers, deeming them unfounded – yet the regime eagerly broadcasts U.S. moves against the Mohameds. Broader critiques persist: a 2025 Americas Quarterly report flagged enduring corruption in Guyana’s governance, including the 2020 elections that reinstated the PPP/C after a fraud-tainted recount.
This hypocrisy transcends political drama; it is a profound betrayal of Guyanese aspirations. The PPP/C’s 2025 electoral triumph, buoyed by oil-driven prosperity, should have heralded an era of integrity. Instead, it fosters a haven for parasites, who feast on public coffers while deflecting blame. Azruddin’s fate demands due process, but the PPP/C’s cherry-picked fury – vilifying him as a peril to national honour while glossing over their flaws- reeks of crass opportunism and hypocrisy.
For Guyana to ascend authentically, accountability must be universal. Let justice run its course on Azruddin, but compel the PPP/C to purge its own ranks first. Until then, as Marley foretold, hypocrites and parasites will come up and take a bite, and the cap will fit those who deserve it most.
