THE local realities of the evolution of Azruddin Mohamed as a politician has been very fortuitous at every step. His entry into the national limelight was a result of legal advice obtained from lawyers retained in the US. Together with his father, their non-immigrant visas were cancelled and renewals refused. Having major business formations in Guyana and having travelled to the US for eons without outstanding legal issues, they needed sound advice on the implications of the refusals and steps they would need to take to regain visa status. I believe that it was there or thereabouts, that they were told of serious investigations into their relationship with the US. Around this time also, we were told, that a Washington lobbying firm was hired by the family to lobby US lawmakers to view them in a positive light and advocate for their redemption.
If the Washington lobbying efforts were to gain any traction, then the Mohameds needed to present a dossier that demonstrated they are nationally recognised personalities who are loved by the people and who live strict law-abiding lives with strong community activism; in short, they needed to launder their image. In this regard, there were two low-hanging fruits: politics and philanthropy. The elder Mohamed entered politics as a local government candidate for the PPP, while the son started an aggressive philanthropic campaign and ‘dalterated’ social media with his exploits. He dwelled among the inner-city urban poor, handing out expensive gifts and parading with luxury cars that most poor people would only see in the movies. Most poor people do not care where their ‘prags’ come from, so they mobbed him to collect his image-laundering goodies. Azruddin became an overnight sensation; in terms of national recognition and social media following, he was the Taylor Swift of Guyana.
Time quickly rolled on, and all the efforts at attempting to scrub their image locally did not thwart the intensity of the investigations in the US. The nation soon learned that US sanctions are imminent and large US investors were advised to sever business ties with the family, then came the OFAC sanctions, later followed by US grand jury indictments and extradition requests. With these sanctions there may be several creative ways in which a government can shield a sanctioned individual without putting the country in jeopardy. However, given the geopolitical realities that the government faced, mainly, requiring US steadfast military and diplomatic support for Guyana over Venezuela. Added to that, the government of Guyana had developed an extremely close relationship with the Trump administration, and President Ali probably had Marco Rubio on speed dial.
Given those circumstances, the Government could not risk fracturing any aspect of that relationship. It was therefore a no-brainer; the government could not extend political courtesies to the Mohameds. I believe this angered the Mohameds, and bad blood developed. We heard them griping about the mountains of courtesies they extended to the party and individuals in government. This started Azruddin on a path of revenge. What better way to do this? Trade the aforementioned personal social popularity for an opportunity to disrupt and politically destabilise the government.
During his image laundering campaign to try to get in the good graces of Washington, Azruddin and his team learned a valuable lesson that caught on like wildfire: we are not villains; we are victims. The shy, innocent, reserved, and clean-cut auric personality that Azruddin curated left many questioning whether he is capable of harming a fly. Team Mohamed knew that this sentiment was pervasive, and they latched on to it; it became their MO. People generally do not like to see ‘advantage’ taken on the innocent; as a result, I believe even some government supporters were sold on his victim baiting tactics. However, there are two major reasons why they did not follow him to the ballot box: one, they have come to trust the PPP a bit more after being disappointed by third parties, chiefly the AFC, and two, the PPP fiercely protected the physical spaces inhabited by their supporters.
The entirety of the campaign and dealings of WIN, the personal brand parading as a political party, has been to strategically exploit situations that are carefully and cleverly canned to show victimhood. We see the campaign as a golden thread in all of Azruddin’s interaction. When the OFAC sanctions came, it was known that his bank accounts would be closed; it was normal around the world. However, the average Joe would not really be familiar with how these things work, so they don’t want me to do business and earn in Guyana, so the Government instructed the banks to close my account. I am the victim here. When it came time to be taken into custody in response to an extradition request, he said, why they couldn’t call me on the phone and ask me to come in, I am innocent and they sent van loads of police for me, I am a victim. When it came time to pay taxes on the importation of a luxury vehicle, he undervalued the vehicle by presenting fictitious valuation information; when hauled in to make restitution, he cried I am a victim. The behaviour continued almost daily. Of recent vintage, he chose to operate an unlicensed vessel during disallowed hours of darkness, without prescribed life jackets, without a pilot’s licence and failure to stop, though clear and unambiguous command was given to stop by security services. Once he was detained, he shouted, I am a victim. Next, the man was found snooping around the President’s home, when approached by the state security apparatus, he fled the scene; when intercepted, he cried victimisation. The thing is, the government’s hands may be tied; the security services have to discharge their duties dispassionately.
For whatever its worth, Azruddin Mohamed may very well be the most successful politician in the West to use “victim baiting” as their primary political strategy. He found a political gold mine and has exploited every ounce of the precious metal. When people are able to exploit a creative niche, many others wish they could, you have to give it to them, this ‘bannas’ is a genius. However, I do not believe that this is sustainable in the long term.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.