With the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) poised to form the new government and the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party emerging as the main opposition, PPP/C General Secretary Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo says there is still room for collaboration on national issues.
Dr. Jagdeo noted that the PPP/C and the former main opposition coalition, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), have traditionally found common ground on sovereignty and territorial integrity matters.
However, he raised doubts about the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) posture, a party formed just three months before the September 1 elections and led by United States-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed. He characterised its approach as “transactional.”
“We had a common understanding with APNU on issues of sovereignty. I’m not so sure about WIN. Their links with Maduro have not been fully explored,” Jagdeo said.
Mohamed has faced scrutiny over his alleged ties to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges.
Mohamed has been sanctioned by the U.S. government over alleged gold smuggling, massive corruption and other reported crimes.
He also faces local charges, including tax evasion related to importing a luxury Lamborghini sports car.
Mohamed has claimed that President Dr Irfaan Ali assisted him with the process, a claim the president has firmly denied.
He is accused of submitting a false declaration to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Jagdeo argued that Mohamed’s decision to enter politics was a strategy to shield himself from these legal troubles.
Jagdeo also argued that APNU miscalculated WIN’s rise and allowed political animosity toward the PPP/C to cloud its judgment.
“When hatred for the PPP/C dominates tactics and strategy, failure is inevitable,” he remarked, stressing that APNU must now decide how to operate within the new parliamentary reality.
For the first time in modern Guyanese political history, the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR)- led APNU will not be the majority opposition.
That role has now shifted to the recently formed WIN party.
APNU, under the leadership of Aubrey Norton, has conceded to suffering a heavy defeat at the recent polls. The decades-old party has pledged to focus on rebuilding and repairing its fractured organisation.
