Blackmail or the lay of the land

Jul 10, 2026 Editorial

(Kaieteur News) What is developing into Estate-Gate has rocked citizens back on their heels. It has opened eyes and forced the people of this country to decide. President Irfaan Ali’s large land holdings and well-populated property are the results of legitimate efforts and the regular leverage provided by commercial loans. Or, the farm and it numerous enriching features are the product of what calls for genuine scrutiny.

We at this paper watch as the back-and-forth evolves between the Leader of the Opposition (LOO) and Guyana’s head-of-state. We do not make any hasty interpretations. Nor do we rush to any preconceived conclusions. What we insist upon, though, is that this land and livestock development (and so much more) be handled in a manner that is aboveboard. In this situation, transparency of the highest order must be present.

There should be a clear and credible inquiry that convinces supporters and denouncers of either side of two components in action, and that they mesh well. First, there was a trusted process and because of that the facts have been uncovered. So, this is where the matter settles.

The We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) leader, now also LOO, Azruddin Mohamed has produced many clear images. He has shared a slate of numbers, which covers from utilities to construction to amounts for a variety of land animals and marine creatures usually reared for human consumption.

Without exception, the line items presented are in the millions, more often in the tens of millions of dollars. Opposition Leader Mohamed hung the word corruption in the air. We at this paper do not. Not at this time, hopefully we do not have to. The nation’s president is involved, is now the object of eyes that range from the suspicious to the negative.
Did he fairly accumulate all of these assets and his huge farm? Or, is there more to this book, with what is principled and positive in question? This is where President Ali comes in, and it is imperative that he gives the best accounting possible for these extensive assets with his name associated to them.

President Ali has stated that everything is aboveboard. From acreage to livestock to aquaculture projects, he has the documents to prove, the bank loans that support. He asserted that his farmlands and all of its elements are a part of clean vision and honest work. There is nothing that prohibits the president, or a government minister (as he was then), from having a plot of farmland and the grazing stock that complement such pastoral interests.

But when a citizen holds the portfolio of a minister, one who is now the national leader, there is significant answering that is expected by citizens. Even more heavily so, when there are many Guyanese who are forced to wait patiently for years for a piece of land. A piece of land to start the process of becoming a first-time homebuilder. A small house lot that is the tiniest of fractions when compared to the land now owned by President Ali.

President Ali has responded via the media to Opposition Leader Mohamed’s claims. President Ali must do more. One of the places that he should think twice of going is “blackmail.” He should allow his ownership of those lands, his loan documents, his other supporting materials, testify to his credibility. Let the processes and practices that made this portfolio be at the level that it is, be his proof.

Instead of relying on the not-so-robust defense of “blackmail”, President Ali emerges from what appears to be a tight corner as a knight in shining armor. And one with a halo around his head. The president ought to be aware that public figures cannot risk taint, not even a whiff of it. His best defense, therefore, is to gather what backs his representations in the media, and present them for the deepest and fullest scrutiny.

It is our position that assertions of blackmail leaves President Ali wrongfooted, pushes him to the disadvantage of retreating. The president is a leader who is usually a bundle of fire and energy when he has his teeth locked on an issue. He must be even more energetic amidst these developments about his farm.

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Azruddin Mohamed, commercial loans, Farm, large land holdings, Leader of the Opposition (LOO), President Irfaan Ali, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN)

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