Dear Editor,
IT is extremely laughable and indeed an elevated irony that the Mohameds, who have long been associated with corruption and illegal practices to the steepest depth, would now try to remake themselves as the champions of integrity, the most virtuous in our midst. They laughably position themselves as the leading voice in the fight against corruption.
Guyanese everywhere from all conversation corners find this deeply offensive, an ill judgement, and an obvious obfuscation of the serious troubles that face this family which is on US indictment for gold and drug smuggling, tax evasion, and mail and wire fraud.
While every society has its share of corruption, the struggle for its eradication must be waged by individuals and groups with moral authority and a consistency of conduct that upholds the societal values of the rule of law.
It cannot be led by personalities of the type of the Mohameds. It has not worked and will not work. We must not forget that the Mohameds graduated from US sanctions to a status of indictment which connotes that their alleged misdeeds are within the highest range of corrupt practices.
When corruption is seemingly fought by such individuals marred with controversy, which paint a picture of a tattered past and shattered credibility, the cause itself becomes weakened and the advocacy is reduced to mere mockery.
Guyana’s anti-corruption effort must be about institutions, systems and ethical leadership, not personal branding excursions or an attempt at reputational laundering. We must demand higher standards in public life and clarity must prevail.
What measurement is being used to gauge, determine or conclude an individual’s acquisition of property to have been done through corrupt means?
The social media masquerade of filming properties purportedly belonging to officials and questioning their earnings cannot simply be concluded as corruption.
There are other elements to be examined, including the savings and investment practices which provided the means for the acquisition. Without those examinations, it renders the analysis inconclusive of arriving at corruption, which the Mohameds leapfrog to.
This all comes down to intellectual deficiencies of a struggling, politically opportunistic family who recycle unproven claims, instead of relying on hard facts.
Regards,
Dr Vishal H Joseph