Of course, he did. It is no secret that the Mohameds bankrolled the PPP for decades. The numbers vary, but as much as they did, they were never in the tens of millions, but in the hundreds. And before those in the Opposition breathe a sigh of relief now that the WIN’s leader has spoken boldly and publicly, the word from the Mohameds’ mouths has been of also being financially generous to the political groups on this side of the benches. The millions may not have been as plentiful as those given to the PPP, but it was not charity, either.
A bankroller is not a box-hand holder. A bankroller is a big moneyman who is a big financier. Here is a question for my fellow citizens with the Hon. Attorney General given first preference, and fellow Americans, too: does this not explain why both the PPP and PNC are so adamant, so doggedly stubborn, about real campaign financing laws, and the disclosure of donor identities? They wouldn’t care, not even twitch an eyelid, if donors are of the mom-and-pop variety. Because the PPP Govt and Guyanese love numbers, try these: the $5000 and $25000 political contributors. On the other hand, secrecy must surround the deep-pocketed, heavy hitters, who double as bankrollers of political parties. They see millions donated as normal business transactions. It’s investing with rich returns in mind. The record is there. Quarry favors from the PPP Govt. Lucrative contract awards from the National Tender Board. The Guyana Police Force seemingly an extension of the Mohameds private security apparatus. Those are only the nose of the Loch Ness monster, and it was in Guyana, not Scotland. Bankrollers give to get. Mohamed gave, Mohamed got. But I must table something else, beside those who were (and are) rolling in money, whether givers or receivers.
When bankrollers can carry, actually boast about, the grand opulence of their largesse into the sacred Legislative House of the Guyanese people, then it reinforces a couple of past developments. There is the proud story of the streets now hollered from the floors of Guyanese inviolable sanctuary. For sure, no law was broken. When Guyanese politicians from both sides of the so-called bitter group divide stand shoulder-to-shoulder in sturdy resistance against a robust campaign financing law, comprehensive political donor law, then there’s the solution to the puzzle. The irony is that there is a PPP Govt, a president, an attorney general (both honorable men of no dubious taint) that expostulates on Guyana’s toothy anti-money laundering law, and there is the new man charged with anti-money laundering violations, expounding in parliament about being a bankroller of the PPP. He didn’t do any favors for his new comrades on the Opposition side. The WIN’s man speaks to truth, and it would be interesting to see which luminary in the PPP steps forward and contradicts Azruddin Mohamed. Condemning him is a walk in the park, due to his alleged old life, past heavy baggage. Contradicting him forces the PPP to walk the plank akin to those ancient pirates.
Now I place two open areas before the leader of WIN. Where does he stand on the freest, deepest, and most transparent campaign financing law? Second, since he has made fighting chronic corruption the centerpiece of he and his party’s calling, what more does he intend to state about how much, if at all, the old Azruddin Mohamed contributed to PPP corruptions, and how much he benefited from such. A bankroller proves himself. Mr. Mohamed did, which made him a known, valued commodity. Hence, he became a trusted PPP insider. Therefore, he should know about corruption. He should know the corrupters in the PPP (the Big Fish). Though he may be reserving some of his more potent ammunition for the appropriate time before the right jurists, and Americans, he has a duty to share more with Guyanese. Now that the cat is out of the bag, and before a domestic world that absorbed his words in parliament, he cannot and must not limit himself to one meow at a time.
Mr. Azruddin Mohamed was the best friend that the PPP could ever have had. He opened his hand and his wallet, and a stream of diamonds fell into the lap of the people who speak brightly about anti money laundering and financial crimes. Today, he is the PPP’s foe, its worst nightmare. A whistleblower with a basket of high-pitched whistles.
