Copyright stabroeknews
Having secured bail in a case where the US is seeking his extradition on 11 counts, WIN Head Azruddin Mohamed is more than likely to be sworn in today as the Leader of the Opposition, underlining the stunning performance of his party at the September 1st general elections. We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) secured 16 seats to take the second position in the electoral contest. APNU, which has historically been in the top two parties, was relegated to third place with 12 seats. There had been suggestions that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) might nominate its own candidate for Opposition Leader and seek to secure support from WIN members but this was ruled out by APNU officials yesterday. Mohamed yesterday expressed full confidence that all 16 of his party’s parliamentary nominees will vote in his favour. This anticipated selection comes as APNU says it has no intention of seeking the leadership role. Speaking with Stabroek News yesterday, Mohamed affirmed the unity within his faction. “I am confident that all WIN Members of Parliament will endorse my selection for Leader of the Opposition. Our team is proud to be a part of history,” Mohamed said. “All the WIN MPs are continuously engaging with citizens in their respective constituencies, and together, we look forward to serving with integrity in the National Assembly. WIN members are united in their support. I am humbled by their confidence in my leadership.” Ganesh Mahipaul, APNU’s Whip explained the party’s decision to abstain from the contest. “The APNU does not have an interest in the Leader of the Opposition, mainly because we do not have the number as a party to hold such an office,” Mahipaul stated. David Hinds, Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), a party that contested the last election as part of the APNU Coalition, confirmed their support for the APNU delegation’s position, saying, “We will be voting along with the APNU delegation.” Efforts to reach Amanza Walton- Desir of the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) for comment were unsuccessful. FGM holds one seat in Parliament. Meanwhile, providing clarity on the selection process, Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, yesterday confirmed there is no provision for a secret ballot in the election of the Leader of the Opposition. “No, there is no provision for secret ballot voting in the Constitution,” Isaacs stated. He detailed the assembly’s initial steps: “I will conduct a meeting to elect the Speaker. When he’s elected, he takes the Chair. After he’s elected, I will swear him in, then he will take the Chair, and he will carry on the National Assembly.” SN previously reported that President Irfaan Ali, on November 1, officially confirmed that Manzoor Nadir will be returning as the governing party’s nominee for Speaker of the National Assembly. President Ali expressed his wish that as Nadir presides, he should ensure that “unity and strength of a nation must be reflected in what comes out of our parliament.” Mahipaul elaborated on the constitutional process for the Opposition Leader’s election, noting it is not part of the National Assembly’s Order of Business. “What normally happens, and as per the Constitution, is that the Speaker [will call] all the non-governmental members… and they will nominate, elect a Leader of the Opposition,” he said. Shadow ministries Regarding the appointment of Shadow Ministers, APNU leaders confirmed they have announced their own shadows to carry out their functions, but stressed they have not had formal discussions with WIN or other parties for joint appointments. Leader of the APNU parliamentary team, Terrence Campbell clarified APNU’s recent assignments: “We have announced our shadows for the APNU to effectively carry out its responsibility… We have assigned different ministries to different MPs, and so they have been appointed as our shadows.” He emphasised the distinction, noting that “the intention was not to make them shadow ministers. That is a role reserved for the Leader of the Opposition.” Mahipaul explained that while APNU recognizes that no single party has enough MPs to shadow all ministries, and attempts were made to engage WIN to combine competencies, the process stalled. “So in that light, APNU attempted to speak with WIN to find the most competent of us all to shadow the respective ministries,” Mahipaul explained. He acknowledged that WIN has members with technical skills that could benefit a combined approach. However, he concluded, “We are prepared to hold government responsible, even if it means that we have to do so without the cooperation of WIN… but we cannot come on getting the work done and await WIN or FGM to do it at their pace.” Mahipaul noted that while Forward Guyana’s Walton-Desir did reach out, APNU took the position that they “have to get our job done.” Mohamed faces a number of charges locally over the importation of a Lamborghini and tax returns. He also faces charges in the US. On June 11, 2024, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposed sanctions on Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed over the alleged massive smuggling of gold. Former PPP/C government Permanent Secretary Mae Toussaint Jr Thomas, was also cited for alleged corruption leading to her being immediately sent on leave by the government here. She also had close ties to the ruling party. Allegations against the Mohameds include defrauding the government here of some US$50 million in taxes from smuggled gold, as well as bribing public officials. For Toussaint Jr Thomas’s part, it said that she used her office while serving at the Ministry of Home Affairs, to offer benefits to the Mohameds that included contracts, licences for weapons, and passports. On October 3rd this year the Mohameds were slapped with an 11-count indictment in the US Florida Southern District Court that alleges the recycling of Guyana Revenue Authority and Guyana Gold Board seals for gold shipments between 2017 and 2024 among other charges. It is unclear why it was more than a year before the indictment was handed down against the Mohameds
