It’s about time for a showdown

Dec 29, 2025 Letters

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Dear Editor,

A can of worms (and snakes) has been opened. Indeed, the time has come for a ‘one-to-one’ showdown to begin, where ‘corruption’ matters are concerned in Guyana. The ‘ting’ has gone out of control, and personally, I sense the stealthy move by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) to emasculate the judiciary, so that a veneer of ‘legality’ can spread over the shenanigans within the party.

So now, we have the reactionary “Mustapha flaying Mohamed over posts-saying that he built his Bloomfield house with mortgage, his own money.” In his state of exposure and embarrassment, the agriculture minister Zulfikar Mustapha mouthed, and with supposed ‘profound concern’ “…  several Facebook posts (video), laced with nasty propaganda, made under the name Team Mohamed’s, by Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, who was sanctioned by the United States of America, regarding his son and me.” According to the now ‘even more reviled’ Minister, Azruddin Mohamed is clearly attempting to insinuate that the Bloomfield property (of the Minister) was acquired through corrupt means…” and instead “The assertions made are completely untrue, fallacious, and devoid of merit, and could only have been contrived to harm his reputation, expose him to hatred, contempt, ridicule and damage his image as a minister of the People Progressive Party’s government.”

Well, as a Guyanese, attuned to happenings in Guyana, I ask that public pressure be brought upon Mustapaha. He is declaring that “…. the construction of the said house at Bloomfield, Berbice, was funded and financed exclusively through a mortgage obtained from Demerara Bank Limited and personal savings accumulated through lawful employment. He noted that he “… has been up to date with his declarations with the Integrity Commission, and he wishes to assure his supporters and the general public that all his assets were acquired through lawful means (and) he can account for every asset he owns.” I will not belabor readers with details about the minister’s son, Javed Mustapha, regarding being ‘corrupt’ but suffice to say it is the same kind of accusations that are levelled at the PPP/C hierarchy.

My part then is very simple and it needs a concerted and sustained effort. I mean ‘things will happen’ if a third of the honest and hard-working people of Guyana seriously protest (in constructive ways), and demand that all the ‘overnight-got-rich’ PPP/C’s associates show a paper trail of their total assets. Guyanese need to have a detailed report of ‘who’ got ‘what’ and became ‘what’ and ‘when’ all off this happened. It is sickening that this minister, just one of the lot, is now trying to offer some weird and contorted explanation, only ‘after the fact of exposure.

The minister needs to show the track record since he is claiming that the embarrassing “… allegations made therein were false, misleading and designed to harm the reputation of him and his son’s image (and since) he has invested in his son’s education, and his entrepreneurial path has been nothing short of maintaining a high standard of accountability, transparency, integrity, and professionalism.”

The people have a constitutional right to know, and not only for the Agri Boss, but for every single minister of the government.

Let me add that contrary to what the government is trying to foist on the people, more and more of the citizenry are beginning to be sympathetic towards the Mohameds; he seems to be gathering momentum, and with the sordid history of the entire pre-WIN opposition, and the PPP/C, people are looking for a solid alternative.

I call on this minister to quit the pettifogging and come transparent (if you want to dispel doubts) instead of saying that “Mr. Mohamed’s hypocrisy is glaring and must not be countenanced.” I, on behalf of so many, am challenging you. “Show me the money, when and where it came from?” Document your defence!

Editor, in terms of “Best Practices” and “Global Standards and Verification” the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) requires every member state to establish legal frameworks for public official asset declarations. I know for certain that the UN Financial Disclosure Programme randomly selects participants for verification, requiring them to provide third-party documentation (e.g., bank statements, property titles) to prove the accuracy of their claims. The public will not agitate for ‘word-by-word’ report, but at least allow for Guyanese to view these disclosures, as in many systems, high-level officials (like ministers) provide detailed, confidential reports to an ethics commissioner, while a less detailed summary is made available to the public. I repeat, ‘lay your cards on the table.’ Set the precedent. The issue of corruption is so serious, that all of Guyana need an external and independent inquiry, no different from that of the Adrianna Younge investigation.

By the way, many of the government ministers are not using the Medicare that they are championing for the people. Also, we need to know whose children were delivered outside of Guyana for the express purpose of ‘birthright citizenship.’

In an upcoming letter, I will address how legally the Mohameds have every right to fight and overcome the extradition request. The PPP/C, in collusion with the US, is most obsequious, and this kind of nonsense also demands serious confrontation.

Yours truly,
Presscott Mann

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• Letters, PPPC, Presscott Mann, showdown

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