In a fiery and emotional video statement, Forward Guyana Chairman, Dorwain Bess, launched a scathing criticism at United States (U.S.)-sanctioned businessman Azruddin Mohamed, branding him “corrupt,” “manipulative,” and unfit of public trust.
Bess and others founded the V-PAC movement, a political party; they later coalesced with Forward Guyana, founded by Amanza Walton-Desir.
Bess accused Azruddin of wielding authority irresponsibly, alleging that he improperly took his fuel license rather than assisting him when needed, and it is among the main reasons why he did not join forces with him to contest the September 1 general and regional elections.
“When they took my license, an uncle of mine went to Azruddin’s father, pleaded with him…he turned and say ‘duh is the man you doing business with? Oh Jesus Christ, dah wrong man you choose.’ Like I is a criminal,” Bess said in the video statement.
According to Bess, he was shocked when he later learned that Azruddin was in the fuel business.
“I know this man in gold and all other things, you’re telling me the one thing I get, this man now have the business? This is not normal. So, you’re telling me, corruption is only corruption when it happens to certain people?
“You [Azruddin] sat there and watched when they discriminate me and tek my one thing when you get 30 or 40 companies and now you’re crying?
“You were benefiting from the corruption that I’ve been facing because you sat there and watched them…”
Bess said that despite his issues with Azruddin, his party members, including Francis Bailey, Antonio Ahmad (also known as Antonio Tours), and Nigel London, convinced him to meet with Azruddin.
According to Bess, Azruddin has attempted to sow discord within the leadership of V-PAC, pitting members against one another and coercively drawing them into his own political movement.
“Antonio called me and say the man [Azruddin] said he want nothing to do with me, I used to smuggle fuel and I corrupt. Team Mohamed ain’t want meet with me because I corrupt?
“So, I called Mr Mohamed. I said, ‘Good afternoon, Mr President…’ the first thing the man said, ‘yeah budday, wah we doing bai? These people wicked, you see what they doing to me?’
“I said to myself, you now know what discrimination is and expect Guyana to run behind you? I said we got to meet…the man went on to say, ‘don’t bring Antonio though. I don’t want nothing to do with him, he’s too corrupt.’ Antonio say the man said I corrupt, now the man telling me Antonio corrupt.”
“Everybody else corrupt but him?”
Bess said he decided not to attend the meeting, and he never mentioned what Azruddin said to Antonio. However, he later found out that Antonio had gone behind his back and met with Azruddin.
“One morning I see on the internet Antonio with the man; Antonio vex with me and gone behind my back. Antonio left me. Wah this man really doing? Playing us against each other?”
Bess described Azruddin as a narcissist and a one-man show who operates without genuine peer support or collaboration.
Despite all of this, Bess claimed that his colleagues again organised another meeting with Azruddin, and he attended.
“When I left the meeting, the man went behind my back and called three other members of my party, asking them ‘how can we work together directly?’
“You have done demonstrated to me that you took a fuel company that I used to have, you ride around this town with siren and you’re not law enforcement, you living like a superstar…yuh getting favours from the government and you’re telling me that you’re going to help Guyana but your attitude is demonstrating that nothing ain’t really change.
“Because if I sit down with you as a man at a table and on my side of the table is 10 people and you cherry-picking them to come with you…that speaks of a person that ain’t really change,” Bess said.
He explained that during the meeting, Azruddin told them that they should forget about V-PAC and join Team Mohamed’s.
“I went to that meeting…when I got to this meeting now..hear wah this man offer me now… ‘I like your manifesto, I like your housing plan…leh we wuk together.’ I said work together how? He say ‘yall done with V-PAC and come with me.’ At the time, the man didn’t even had a name (for his party).
“I closing down my V-PAC movement to come with a man and the man can’t even tell me the party name. Further to that, he couldn’t tell me what I coming for. I coming hay as an advisor, I coming hay as a watchman? You can’t tell me what my side giving up fuh but we must come.
“You is a king…and we must just follow you. So, I say no. The man cannot tell we what we coming fuh. Just come. You ain’t see the man ain’t got a Prime Minister onto now?”
Adding another layer to his criticism, Bess highlighted a serious concern: Azruddin was sanctioned by the United States Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and any association with him could put him [Bess] and his children at risk because they are U.S. citizens.
Bess repeatedly noted in his video statement that Francis Bailey, Nigel London and others can corroborate his story.
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