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AFC LEADER WARNS OF ‘GENIE OUT OF THE BOTTLE’ AFTER US LOBBY FIRM PUSHES ANTI-MOHAMED TWEETS TO CONGRESS

Allegations that the Guyana Government is using a U.S.-based lobbying firm to circulate tweets linking local businessman Azruddin Mohamed to Venezuela’s regime have sparked serious concerns about foreign interference, and the possible long-term consequences for Guyana’s democracy.

According to Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Nigel Hughes, the move crosses a dangerous line. Speaking on Context, the political talk show hosted by veteran journalist Enrico Woolford, Hughes said it’s not unusual for governments to hire lobbying firms in Washington to promote their interests. What’s alarming, he argued, is that in this case, the firm appears to be pushing U.S. politicians to meddle directly in Guyana’s domestic affairs.

“What happens if the Chinese do the same thing?” Hughes asked. “What happens if the Chinese are engaged by the government to come and get involved in domestic politics and domestic elections to attack a particular candidate who may be not supportive of Chinese companies or Chinese policies?”

The government recently came under fire after revelations that it hired Continental Strategy LLC, a U.S. lobbying and strategy firm, at a cost of US$50,000 per month. Reports surfaced that the firm circulated tweets to members of the U.S. Congress alleging Mohamed’s ties to Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, branding him a “Maduro puppet.”

While Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo has denied any direct link between the government and the tweets, he confirmed that the firm was hired by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to counter Venezuela’s “propaganda machine.” Jagdeo insisted that the specific targeting of Mohamed was not instructed by the government and that the firm acted independently.

But Hughes isn’t convinced that the implications can be brushed aside. “This is like the genie coming out of the bottle,” he said, warning that once this door is opened, it becomes much harder to control who steps through it, and what damage they might do.

He questioned whether the precedent now leaves room for other global powers, not just the U.S. to wade into Guyana’s internal affairs under the guise of supporting one side over another. “One can even ask if the door has now opened for interference by Iran, or any other nation for that matter,” he said.

For many Guyanese, the use of oil wealth, political influence, and foreign partnerships is already raising questions about the country’s direction. Now, the idea that foreign governments or political actors could become entangled in local rivalries adds another layer of risk, one that, Hughes argues, could have long-term consequences for Guyana’s political sovereignty.

Whether the move was a strategic misstep or an intentional tactic, the controversy underscores just how high the political stakes have become in Guyana’s new oil era, and how quickly lines between foreign diplomacy and domestic campaigning are starting to blur.

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