Those rejected by international institutions

Dear Editor,
Over the last weekend we have seen several new developments in the political arena. First, we saw the announcement of the date for upcoming General & Regional Elections by HE President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali. The date which has been set, September 1st, 2025, has caught many persons off guard though some were not surprised. The other development which was not surprising either is the announcement by one philanthropic tax evader declaring his candidacy for presidency in the upcoming elections.
That second development is one that we must pay close attention to and not get carried away easily by what we see on the surface. The announcement was made by someone who we all know has been sanctioned by the US for tax fraud and evasion. What does this mean for Guyana and what are the likely repercussions?
The individual in question has for a few years now began to go public and carry out charitable work. It’s quite ironic for a man to rob a country of its taxes and then go about sharing out financial aid, building houses, etc for persons claiming it is done from pure love, care and dedication. In doing so, some persons have fallen in love with the work of this individual turning a blind eye to the other side of the story. To this effect, the individual has deliberately used the opportunity to draw public sympathy. One can simply ask the question “Buying Votes or Buying Sympathy?”
An individual sanctioned by a foreign country especially countries like the UK, USA, Canada, etc and running for President is a huge threat to the economic, democratic, political and security stability of that country.
In Guyana’s case, should the sanctioned individual contest and by some miracle win the election we stand to suffer from several economic risk factors. These include reduced foreign investments from international businesses and countries. Reduction in foreign direct investments something that is critical in our booming and vital oil and gas economy. Guyana can lose critical access to international financial markets which will restrict and limit trade with many major economic partners. It will also downgrade our creditworthiness and increase our borrowing costs. These punitive economic measures can inadvertently expose us to restricted access to the SWIFT banking system, asset freezes, trade limitations among others. Guyana too stands to enter into a state of investment difficulties and economic stagnation leading to the decline in public investments in areas such as healthcare, education, and social welfare programmes.
Allowing a sanctioned individual to contest and run for the highest office could and in my view, ‘will’ undermine the electoral integrity and legitimacy. These acts create and set out dangerous precedents. One such is that serious international violations are not capable of disqualifying those criminal entities from ruling over a country, this precedent has the dire potential of weaking Guyana’s governance standards. It can also further increase political polarisation and instability in our society. With this comes strong abuse of power by those individuals to shield themselves against further sanctions or prosecution (A key point to note) as the laws allows them presidential immunity. In order to protect themselves, family, businesses and whatever personal interests they have, Guyana’s judicial independence, media/press freedom and anti-corruption agencies can be snatched away. This could transition Guyana into a kleptocracy or an authoritative style of governance.
In relation to our security stability and risks on Guyana stands to face severe consequences. Sanctioned individuals are known to be involved in illicit networks, whether it be for financial purposes or other. Due to this, there is a likelihood for Guyana to become a hub for illegal financial activity, drug trafficking, organised crimes, etc. This can cause Guyana to become blacklisted and face strong condemnation from its South American and Caribbean neighbours. This isolation will eventually put a further strain on our diplomatic alliances especially with CARICOM, US, EU, OAS, etc which will weaken our negotiating position and our access to international aid (critical in the Venezuela border dispute). Our foreign relations without a doubt would be in a tragic state of disarray.
In concluding, the candidacy of a sanctioned individual or entity in Guyana’s upcoming General & Regional Elections would be profoundly destabilising. Guyana is currently on a record-breaking trajectory of development, responsible governance and democratic practices. However, it stands to lose all of this if we allow any and all politically ambitious, ethically compromised person(s) to hijack our institutions for personal or criminal gain. This matter at hand is not about one candidate, it is about setting national standards for Guyana to ultimately uphold the rule of law, transparency and protect our democratic foundations. The dangers of electing a sanctioned individual cannot be overstated, nor must they be ignored.

Sincerely,
Shivesh Persaud