— Nascimento warns against Mohamed as Opposition Leader amid US sanctions
COMMUNICATION Consultant and civil society member, Kit Nascimento, has called on WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed to step aside from any bid to become Leader of the Opposition and instead submit himself to the United States judicial system to clear his name, warning that Guyana faces serious economic, diplomatic and security risks if a US-sanctioned individual occupies such a high constitutional office.
In a letter to the Editor, Nascimento argued that while the PPP/C secured a decisive victory at the September 1, 2025 General and Regional Elections, the emergence of WIN as the main opposition, with Mohamed at its helm, presents what he described as a “stark and dangerous” threat to the country’s stability.
Nascimento reminded that he had raised similar concerns even before the elections, noting that WIN was “led by a person sanctioned by the US government, accused of gross criminal activity and who is before our own courts charged for further criminal activity.”
He said that subsequent responses from the US Embassy in Georgetown only reinforced those concerns. According to Nascimento, the Embassy had confirmed that while Guyana itself is not subject to broad US sanctions, “US persons are not generally prohibited from investing in Guyana, provided no sanctioned persons are involved in such transactions.”
“The emphasis is mine,” Nascimento wrote, adding that this leaves open the risk of direct harm to US-Guyana investment flows should Mohamed be involved in any official or commercial dealings.
He further recalled that US Ambassador Nicole Theriot had publicly described Mohamed’s potential participation in Parliament in an official capacity as “concerning” and “problematic” for Washington.
Against that backdrop, Nascimento rejected criticisms of Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir for delaying the formal process that could result in Mohamed’s appointment as Opposition Leader, saying the Speaker had acted “appropriately” in light of the broader national interest.
“The first and absolute priority of any government and the President who leads it, [is] to do all in their power to protect their country from the very consequences posed by electing Azruddin Mohamed as Leader of the Opposition,” he argued.
Nascimento listed the risks as including “the threat to our economic stability, the threat to our country’s security and defence against the external threats to some two-thirds of our territory by Venezuela, and the threat to Guyana being deemed a country of high risk to any and all potential investors.”
However, the sharpest focus of the letter was directed squarely at Mohamed himself.
“I also ask this simple question of Mr. Azruddin Mohamed,” Nascimento wrote. “Surely, he too is well aware of the consequences of his becoming the Leader of the Opposition while he remains sanctioned by the US government, accused of gross criminal activity in that country and why is he determined to fight extradition rather than stand trial to prove his innocence in a US court?”
In what he described as a reasonable and responsible path forward, Nascimento proposed that Mohamed voluntarily step aside in favour of his deputy.
“If, indeed, Mr. Azruddin Mohamed is truly and genuinely a political leader concerned for the future and well-being of those who voted for him and all of Guyana and its people, why not simply anoint his deputy in his party to stand in his stead as Leader of the Opposition and volunteer himself to stand trial in the US and prove his innocence for the crimes he claims he has been unjustly accused of,” he said.
“He could then return to Guyana the conquering hero and assume the leadership of the Opposition.”
