–Mahipaul lashes back as WIN accuses APNU of locking party out of regional committees
A PARTNERSHIP for National Unity (APNU) parliamentarian Ganesh Mahipaul has rejected claims that his party collaborated with the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to sideline We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) councillors, arguing instead that the party’s failure stemmed from “lacklustre” engagement and inexperience in political procedure.
Mahipaul was responding to allegations made on Friday by WIN’s Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, who accused APNU of engaging in “coordinated voting” at the regional level to block WIN from securing positions in local government structures.
In an invited comment to the Guyana Chronicle, Mahipaul dismissed the claims as unfounded and said APNU could not be blamed for what he described as WIN’s failure to proactively secure representation.
“I cannot be held accountable for a whole lack of experience in the process and as a returning Member of Parliament and someone who has been in politics for a long period of time… Ms Sarabo-Halley clearly is looking for some degree of relevance as to their lacklustre in being proactive in terms of ensuring that they are represented at the regional committee level and even in the National Assembly,” Mahipaul said.
He maintained that there has been no alliance between APNU and the government, and reiterated his support for proportional representation in both parliamentary and regional structures. Citing Standing Order 94(1) of the National Assembly, Mahipaul noted that committee composition must reflect the strength of parties in Parliament, explaining that in a 10-member committee the PPP/C holds six seats, while APNU and WIN each hold two.
Sarabo-Halley had told reporters that WIN believes that in regions where it held the majority, there were “coordinated voting combinations” that prevented the party from securing initial leadership positions.
Mahipaul said any future collaboration with WIN, whether at the regional level or in parliamentary procedure, must be firmly grounded in proportional representation and not what he described as attempts at “bullyism.”
He further accused WIN of seeking a disproportionate share of shadow ministerial portfolios ahead of the 2026 budget, claiming the party had proposed taking 13 of 20 shadow positions, leaving APNU with six and another party with one without proper consultation.
APNU, he said, refused to accept such an arrangement and instead chose to highlight its influence through parliamentary debates and scrutiny of budget estimates, where he believes the party “did extraordinarily well.”
Mahipaul had previously accused the WIN party of making no effort to establish a collective opposition in Parliament.
Meanwhile, Sarbo Halley told reporters that there have been no discussions on the party’s position should their leader, United States–indicted Azruddin Mohamed, be extradited to answer to fraud and other serious charges.
Azruddin and his father, Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed, have been indicted by a federal grand jury in the US District Court of the Southern District of Florida on 11 criminal charges, including wire fraud, mail fraud, tax evasion, and money laundering.
The US had made a request for the Mohameds to be extradited to face the indictments. Those extradition proceedings are currently pending in the local courts.
