Indigenous Councillor condemns WIN party’s “bullyism”, “disrespect” against Amerindian Affairs Minister

Councillor for St Cuthbert’s Mission/Pakuri Village, Tristan Henry has expressed concern over the treatment of Amerindian Affairs Minister Sarah Browne-Shadeek during an encounter with members of the opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party outside the Amerindian Hostel in Georgetown on Sunday.

In a letter to the editor, Henry described the actions of WIN’s Azruddin Mohamed and Odessa Primus as “disrespect and intimidation” directed at a female Indigenous leader. She said the incident should trouble every decent Guyanese, especially Indigenous citizens. Henry highlighted that Minister Browne-Shadeek is no stranger to hard work or sacrifice, having risen quietly through the ranks from grassroots communities that often go unheard. He said her story exemplifies Indigenous resilience, making the opposition’s actions particularly painful. “The bullyism that Sarah faced is nothing new. Every Indigenous sister who has ever worked their way up from nothing would have identified with that moment deeply,” Henry stated. She contrasted the Minister’s experience with that of Mohamed, noting that while Mohamed was born into privilege, Minister Browne-Shadeek once stayed in the hostel and relied on a canoe for transportation. Henry praised the Minister’s calmness during the incident, describing it as “quiet resilience over flagrant bullyism and intimidation.” The confrontation occurred as Minister Browne-Shadeek visited the hostel to assess the facility and discuss plans for a new Amerindian Hostel. The Minister disclosed that the design for the new facility is being finalised, land has been identified and proposals for funding have been submitted for the 2026 national budget. She has been working with the Central Housing and Planning Authority, whose engineer and architect have collaborated on the design.

Browne-Shadeek also acknowledged the need to continue supporting the existing hostel on Princess Street, Georgetown. The facility accommodates Amerindians traveling to Georgetown for various reasons, including medical treatment and provides free meals and assistance. She stated that over 1,275 persons have used the hostel this year alone.

Not activism but “bullyism”
The Minister said the opposition’s actions were not activism but “bullyism,” noting that the behaviour took place while sick persons were at the hostel. She said she would not be intimidated and emphasised that proper leadership does not involve confrontational behaviour or using Indigenous people as pawns for political agendas. WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father, Nazar Mohamed are currently facing extradition proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts in relation to fraud and money laundering indictments linked to gold smuggling in the United States (US).
The indictment follows sanctions imposed over a year ago by the US Government on the Mohameds and their businesses, in relation to the evasion of taxes on gold exports, with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) noting that between 2019 and 2023. Mohamed’s Enterprise omitted more than 10,000-kilograms (kg) of gold from import and export declarations and avoided paying more than US$50 million in duty taxes to the Government of Guyana. The other charge has to do with Azruddin Mohamed’s purchased and imported a Lamborghini sports car to Guyana in 2020. The indictment alleges he directed someone to purchase the car for US$680,000, then falsify the invoice to state a value of US$75,300 to understate import taxes. If convicted, most charges carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and fines of up to US$250,000 while the money laundering charge carries a fine of US$500,000 or the value of the laundered property.