Dear Editor,
The signing ceremony of a union between WIN (We Invest in Nationhood) and ANUG (A Partnership for United Guyana) was marked by significant optimism. Both parties asserted that their collaboration would result in increased strength. However, this claim warrants scrutiny in the context of social realities.
Shortly after the union, four members of ANUG, including its two founders, Mr Ralph Ramkarran and Mr Timothy Jonas, resigned due to concerns regarding potential sanctions from the US arising from an association with Mr Azruddin Mohamed, the leader of the WIN+ANUG alliance.
Mr Azruddin suffered another setback when two of his family members rejected his presidential candidacy due to a lack of political and governmental experience. Instead, they have endorsed PPP/C presidential candidate Dr Irfaan Ali and his PPP/C.
While both family members have been acknowledged for their position, they nevertheless miss the bigger picture.
Azruddin Mohamed is not simply running for president; he aims to use part of his family’s fortune to unseat the PPP/C. He cites a poll of 80,000 people showing that his party would get 65% of the votes cast! These figures do not only defy logic but also represent a perversion of mathematics and scholarship.
Mr Mohamed’s supporters seem to take a different perspective. They know that despite the APNU+AFC coalition’s mediocre performance in office during 2015-2020, they lost the 2020 elections by less than 3% of the total valid votes cast, while the PPP/C barely polled above 50% of the valid votes cast. They therefore believe that they could win 2-3 seats that would allow them to achieve their mission to remove the PPP/C from office!
For WIN+ANUG to secure one seat, it must secure at least 7,670 valid votes; for two seats, they must obtain at least 15,340 valid votes, and for three seats, a minimum of 23,011 valid votes is necessary. It must be noted that the third party’s polling strength in the 2020 elections was weak. None was able to collect more than 3,000 votes.
Powered by the Mohamed family’s wealth, WIN+ANUG’s supporters believe that they could have an important impact on the 2025 election results if they manage to secure 2-3 seats. If this materialises, they would regard themselves as the King Maker. Accordingly, they have been targeting in their campaign outreach PPP/C strongholds in the hinterland and in the coastal areas.
A PPP/C source reports that Mr Mohamed’s meetings primarily attract opposition supporters, and this situation rattles the APNU and AFC parties. The WIN+ANUG party would not affect in any significant way the PPP/C’s strong support base, as demonstrated by over 10,000 attendees at each of the 4 fundraising events so far.
Any seat that WIN+ANUG secures would come from APNU’s and AFC’s support base.
In terms of the 2025 elections, Dr Irfaan Ali, the PPP/C’s presidential candidate, asserts that WIN+ANUG leader Mr Azruddin Mohamed is no threat to the PPP/C, but he considers him a national security threat.
Despite massive attendance at PPP/C events, the party aims to gain support from both traditional supporters and other political parties. Several opposition leaders have recently joined the PPP/C, which identifies as a multi-racial party.
The PPP/C attributes its success to its development plans, organisational abilities, record of achievements, efforts to fulfil campaign promises, and initiatives to improve the well-being of all Guyanese.
Yours sincerely,
Dr Tara Singh
