Last Updated on Friday, 30 October 2026, 4:56 by Written By Denis Chabrol
By GHK Lall
Opposition Leader, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, has to change. Mandatory. Or, he is of little utility to the Guyanese people. Whoever heard of an Opposition Leader who is regularly arrested, regularly handcuffed, regularly jailed, regularly fighting to be bailed, and regularly hoping to be hailed? Some Guyanese may be comfortable with such, but I’m still struggling to grasp the value of an Opp Leader who makes himself into a sitting duck for the next episode of Guyanese Justice aka PPP Govt Justice. What else does he need to know? Surely, his head can’t be that swollen? Or this hard?
The PPP Govt took away his business. Took away his banks. Took away his phone. Took away his licenses. Took away his freedom of movement. And, last, took away his freedom. How many more lessons does he need? Is he going to be that superstar of an Opp Leader -one running it from inside a jail cell? Wait a minute! Does Mr. Mohamed fancy himself to be Mr. Mandela? I have heard about egos. This must qualify as the height of eccentricities. And youthful exuberance. He has a twin brother of the same disposition. The GPS location is somewhere along the lines of South Cummingsburg, where a visitor from Kensington Gardens just dropped by.
In the frankest terms, the most helpful ones, Mr. Mohamed is wasting the Opp Leader portfolio, its hallowed standing. What the president has inflicted on the presidency, Mr. Mohamed is coming dangerously close to delivering in his version on the Leader of the Opposition role. I heard that he is a swift learner. Perhaps, that explains why he is so often, so quickly, trapped in trouble. Chasing after every lead sets off a chain reaction. Follow this avalanche. A street. A Special Branch chief. A shot (as alleged). A salvo of shots (all too real, no playing around). A seizure. Then into the slammer. It should have been the end of this sorry episode in national intelligence gathering, and national intelligence reacting. With Mr. Azruddin Mohamed, one can bet money that there will be a sequel. There was. Surveillance footage. No street cruising, no nighttime crawling, no surveillance tapes arranging. It’s not university logic; but it will have to do.
In Part II that started with Kitty, there is Eve Leary. I recommend that the Guyana Police Force simply hangs his picture on the wall. Whenever there is a new development, remove Mr. Mohamed’s picture, and lock it in a cell. It’s the mindset that matters. Soon enough, the picture would be replaced by the man in it. If I have to say it 100 times, it will be done. The place of the Opp Leader is in parliament and not in prison. He should be holding press conferences and tearing off from the podium (constitution, budget, patrimony, environment, corruption), and not in a pen. If he wants to be a Saviour of Guyana, he has to be patient, wait for Xmas, then take his place among the sheep and cows, donkeys and dogs. From a mansion to a manger.
Get used to it, my fellow Guyanese. I speak many languages, and I cross my religions. Mr. Mohamed has to be more versatile, more circumspect, more disciplined. The PPP Govt doesn’t even have to lay a trap for him. He walks with his own, then walks right into it. What a character! What an Opp Leader! Cheddi Jagan was Opp Leader for 28 years. He left behind some encyclopedias. Teaching aids for Azruddin Mohamed. From the West on Trial to Ordeals by Fire (Mohamed’s). He already has compiled a lot of background material. He is the star. The man in the limelight. The citizen of the hour.
If those are the visions dancing, he is better off being a friend of the Ali, Jagdeos, Nandlalls. If only for ole time’s sake. If, on the other hand, he is truly about the Guyanese people, he is of the best use to them, when he is an inspiration to the troops, a ray of hope, and a figure with both of his feet planted firmly on the ground. And beyond the walls of a prison.
