Your 5-minute Guyanese news circus — now with 100% more constitutional drama 🇬🇾
📢 SPEAKER NADIR: “ELECT A FUGITIVE IF YOU WANT, BUT THE STAIN IS ON YOU”
Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir is done being diplomatic. In what can only be described as a “I’m not saying you CAN’T, but you probably SHOULDN’T” moment, Nadir has basically told opposition MPs that if they want to elect WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed as Opposition Leader, that’s their business — but don’t expect him to feel good about presiding over it.
“If opposition Members of Parliament feel it morally right to elect an international fugitive, then the stain on our Parliament and our country rests solely with them,” the Speaker said.
Translation: “Go ahead. Make history. Be the first Westminster Parliament to have a wanted man as Opposition Leader. See if CARICOM sends you a congratulations card.”
He warned that elevating someone facing US extradition proceedings would be “unprecedented in the Westminster parliamentary tradition” and would “tarnish Guyana’s international image.”
Speaking of which, former PNC Chairman Shurwayne Holder is backing Nadir, offering “humble advice” to sitting Opposition MPs to think carefully. His logic: You can’t spend years criticizing the government about corruption, drugs, and money laundering, then elect a leader who hasn’t cleared their name of… corruption, drugs, and money laundering allegations.
Consistency is hard.
🧑⚖️ NANDLALL VS CHARRANDASS: THE LEGAL SMACKDOWN
Remember Charrandass Persaud? The man famous for that ONE vote? Well, he’s back in the news for making a TikTok (yes, really) criticizing Attorney General Anil Nandlall’s use of the term “fugitive offender” to describe the Mohameds.
Charrandass called it “grammatically incorrect” and “legally incorrect.”
Nandlall’s response was essentially: “Sir, please read the actual law.”
The AG went on his weekly show Issues in the News and pulled out receipts — specifically, the Fugitive Offenders Act, Chapter 10:04 — and read the statutory definition aloud like a teacher correcting a student who didn’t do the homework.
“I am very careful when I use legal terminology,” Nandlall said, which is lawyer for “I know what words mean, and you apparently don’t.”
Charrandass has not yet responded, but we’re hoping for a TikTok rebuttal.
💊 70KG COCAINE BUST: THREE CHARGED, ONE GETS BAIL
CANU is having a busy January.
Three men appeared in court yesterday in connection with the 70 kilogram cocaine seizure in Parika, East Bank Essequibo. That’s 154 pounds of product, for those keeping score at home.
Two were charged with trafficking and remanded to prison until February 20. The third, Mark Jainarine, was charged with “aiding in the commission of trafficking” — which is apparently the legal term for “we know you were involved but we’re still figuring out exactly how.”
Jainarine pleaded not guilty and got bail at $600,000.
The bust happened on Sunday when CANU officers acted on “information received” — which is the official way of saying someone talked.
This follows the 22.3kg seizure at La Grange last week. At this rate, CANU is going to need a bigger evidence room.
🇧🇪 BELGIUM WANTS TO BUILD OUR PORTS (AND WE’RE LISTENING)
Minister of Public Utilities Deodat Indar had a busy Wednesday.
First, he met with a Belgian delegation representing the Port of Antwerp Bruges International — one of Europe’s biggest shipping hubs — to discuss “technical cooperation in maritime port development.”
The meeting included the EU Ambassador, Go-Invest officials, and MARAD brass. No specific projects were announced, but the message is clear: Guyana’s ports need upgrading, and Belgium wants in.
With the oil industry booming and exports growing, our current port infrastructure is like trying to move a river through a garden hose. Help would be nice.
✈️ IATA TALKS CJIA IMPROVEMENTS
Minister Indar’s second meeting of the day was with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) about modernizing operations at Cheddi Jagan International Airport.
The talks focused on “efficiency, passenger processing, and overall airport performance” — which anyone who’s waited in those immigration lines can appreciate.
Indar emphasized this is part of President Ali’s vision for “One Guyana anchored in an efficient, results-driven government.”
No timeline was given, but if they can figure out how to make the AC work consistently in the departure lounge, we’ll call it a win.
🚗 TRAFFIC LAWS GETTING A REVIEW
The Guyana Police Force Traffic Department, the National Road Safety Council, and the Law Reform Commission met on Tuesday to discuss reforms to the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act.
The goal: curb road accidents and strengthen law enforcement.
A joint working group will develop recommendations to submit to the Attorney General.
No word yet on whether they’ll address the real issue: people who think indicators are optional and that highway shoulders are express lanes.
⛏️ ROBBERY IN THE BACKDAM
Police in Region 7 are investigating an armed robbery at Mara Mara Backdam in Middle Mazaruni.
Details are limited, but backdam robberies have been a recurring problem in the mining areas. When you’re working in remote locations with gold and cash, you become a target.
Stay safe out there, porkknockers.
📊 QUICK HITS
Kit Nascimento joins the chorus: The communications consultant and civil society member is calling on Azruddin Mohamed to step aside from the Opposition Leader race and “submit himself to the United States judicial system to clear his name.” He warned that having a US-sanctioned individual in a high constitutional office poses “economic, diplomatic and security risks.”
Gas-to-Energy deadline extended: The government pushed back the deadline for EPC proposals for the gas bottling company (now February 19) and the urea plant (now March 5). PM Phillips says it’s not about lack of interest — meetings with interested companies are ongoing.
GECOM objections period ends today: If you wanted to object to someone being on the Preliminary List of Electors, today is your last day. After this, it’s on to the Official List.
🎯 THE BOTTOM LINE
Speaker Nadir has basically told the opposition: “Your choices, your consequences.” Whether WIN MPs will proceed with electing Mohamed as Opposition Leader despite the Speaker’s warning remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, the government is meeting with Belgians about ports and IATA about airports while CANU is hauling in cocaine by the metric ton.
Just another Wednesday in Guyana, where we’re simultaneously building the future and dealing with people who think the law doesn’t apply to them.
Tomorrow: We check in on the Progress Report and see what the Rumor Mill is churning out.
The Guyana Brief — Reading four newspapers so you can read one.