Dear Editor,
Except for motor racing and the exhibition of expensive vehicles, the name Azruddin Mohammed was an unheard-of personality. He was an obscure man, locked away from public scrutiny, as he became engrossed in gaining wealth and building an empire for himself. Now, when that same wealth-grabbing preoccupation became a cause for the USA to sanction him, at this stage that name jumped into prominence, and Azruddin Mohammed became a household name.
It began as an imperceptible, philanthropic individual who would turn up at places and people who were adversely affected by unfortunate circumstances to do his charitable work. However, his troubles continued as the sanctions weighed in heavily on him.
At this juncture his ambitions widened as he stepped out into the political arena – that is, to run for president. It started out as negative statements directed at the Government for projects they left undone. These accusations were his starting point because he highlighted those as instances of gross neglect by the PPP/C administration.
Vice President Jagdeo fired back: he said that his party was not the architect of his sanctions; therefore, the PPP/C would not be Mohammed’s scapegoat; rather, Mohammed should work at clearing his name from the bad books of the United States Government.
So, we are forced to ask the presidential aspirant a few questions:
1. How was your wealth generated? Was it through fraud or honest means?
2. The Americans have concluded that you were under surveillance for the past four years now, so why accuse the PPP/C as the source of your sanctions?
3. As a presidential hopeful, what is your motive for running for high office? Is it an altruistic endeavour to help people or a means to save your pocket and keep your “business” alive?
4. Guyanese are wary of politicians who cry corruption, but as soon as they get into office, they make a sudden U-turn and walk the same road they accused the ruling party of. A vivid reminder is the PNC-led coalition that, soon after getting into office, raised their salaries 50%, amidst other atrocities. That coalition was the most corrupt ever, and at this stage of our development, we are not about to enter into another.
5. In light of the above, where we cannot see clearly into your acquisition of wealth, we are ever cautious of your hidden agenda running for office. You keep promoting the lies of a PPP/C sanction when verifiable evidence shows that this is otherwise the case. How can we trust an individual who lives in denial and cannot tell the nation the truth?
6. We hold such an individual as being in gross contempt for the people and one that cannot be trusted to hold high office. Holding the highest office in this country means that we as a nation will suffer sanctions alike. We would not be another Venezuela, having our country sanctioned as its leader.
Until such time as our questions remain unanswered, we will treat every word, every gesture as highly suspicious! We will not be sanctioned with you, sir; we will proceed with a Government and party that can be trusted and one that has shown its respect for people by doing what it says; newcomers with a sordid history we’d rather keep at arm’s length.
Yours sincerely,
Neil Adams
