Azruddin Mohamed admits to running for office to get sanctions lifted

…as WIN launches manifesto

The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political party, led by United States (US)-sanctioned Azruddin Mohamed, finally launched its manifesto on Thursday ahead of the September 1 General and Regional Elections, unveiling a slew of eye-raising “welfare and tax reform” promises that have raised questions on how the party would fund its extravagant agenda, given its pledge to reduce major sources of Government revenue.
The manifesto, branded with policy pillars like WIN for Children, WIN for Youth, and WIN for Public Servants, proposes unprecedented increases in Government spending while simultaneously slashing a broad range of tax revenues. At the heart of the manifesto are promises to significantly boost state support across multiple sectors, from healthcare and education to pensions and public servant salaries.
Among the headline promises are a 50 per cent increase in public servants’ salaries, a more than doubling of the old-age pension from $41,000 to $100,000 per month, a jump in public assistance for vulnerable groups from $22,000 to $50,000 per month, an increase in the “Because We Care” school cash grant from $55,000 to $100,000 annually, and a push to raise the national minimum wage, in partnership with the private sector.
The “Because We Care” school cash grant was started in 2013 by the current administration.
Simultaneously, the WIN manifesto also promises to lower the VAT rate from 14 per cent to 10 per cent, reduce PAYE income tax from 25 per cent to 20 per cent, and raise the tax-free income threshold from $130,000 to $200,000. In addition, it proposes major cuts to import duties on vehicles, with reductions of up to 60 per cent across categories, and full exemptions for ATVs and smaller outboard engines.
Pressed by reporters on how such an expansive spending program would be funded, Mohamed insisted the money would come from eliminating corruption and what he calls “wasteful spending.” He claimed that up to 30 percent of the national budget is lost to corruption.
Joining Mohamed at the manifesto launch were WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus and several former opposition politicians who have defected from A Partnership for National Unity (APNU): Dawn Hastings-Williams, Natasha Singh-Lewis, and Tabitha Sarabo-Halley.
The manifesto also includes promises to re-establish a national public service academy, revise the Amerindian Act of 2002, and encourage the creation of an indigenous credit union.
To address the country’s domestic violence epidemic, the party promises to build safe houses for victims of domestic violence and establish a gender-based violence registry. However, they did not address the fact that the current administration has already built safe houses for victims of domestic violence.
The policy platform was unveiled even as concerns continued to intensify over Mohamed’s US sanctions and implications for the country should he be elected to a seat in parliament.
The manifesto launch comes days after US Ambassador to Guyana, Nicole Theriot, issued a stark warning about the potential diplomatic and economic fallout should Mohamed become part of the Government, citing risks to both Government relations and US private sector investment.
She noted that it “sends concern through the private sector of the United States.” Mohamed, who is WIN’s presidential candidate, is currently under sanctions by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly evading over US$50 million in taxes through underreporting of gold exports between 2019 and 2023.

Mohamed Admits
Pressed on this matter at the manifesto launch, Mohamed offered vague reassurance.
“When we take office September 2, the United States of America will work with us. We saw recently what transpired between President Trump and the Syrian president. He lifted the sanctions and congratulated him,” he said.
Mohamed refused to elaborate further, only saying, “I don’t want to comment on that anymore. I will comment on that at a later time.”
Despite mounting concerns over the legality, feasibility, and international ramifications of WIN’s leadership, the party has been officially approved by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to contest the upcoming elections.
In another controversial pledge, Mohamed promised to renegotiate Guyana’s 2016 Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with oil giant ExxonMobil.
“We will engage ExxonMobil for fair terms on the 2016 PSA,” Mohamed said. “It’s in the manifesto. We will engage with ExxonMobil when we take office and ring-fence some of the projects. We will discuss this when we take office.”