28/08/2021
Part Two: The Muslims’ hijacking of Guyana
The Role Of Queensway’s Mohamed ‘Arafat’ Qualander
Dear Editor,
A few weeks ago, as a Guyanese, I was agonizingly forced to pen a Letter to the Editor on the worrying posture of this Government under President Irfaan Ali towards the Muslim community.
It was the Opposition Leader himself, Joseph Harmon, who expressed his deep worry over concerns that billions of dollars in illegal contracts, land and forest concessions were being parceled out, without the knowledge of the people, to a select number of Muslims.
It would suggest a clear thinking of this President and this government with regards who should be empowered. There can be no other conclusions, Editor.
President Ali, a Muslim, would have proclaimed that he is president for all Guyana. Guyana felt reassured.
What played out contradicted the President’s utterings as it seemed he was hell-bent on repaying campaign debts to a few friends and mosque colleagues.
There can be no country in the world where a handful of people can be considered so blessed that they would be lined up without due process and be handed out contracts and concessions worth billions of dollars, above everybody else.
It smacks of cronyism and speaks directly a dark side of President Ali and his puppeteer, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
While there has been growing worry over the role of Nazar ‘Shell’ Mohamed and his son, Azruddin ‘The Sheikh of the Lamborghini fame, another shadowy figure has been smiling all the way to the bank.
Qualander, whose family owns Queensway on Water Street, has been squirming his way into almost every other businesses, with his mouth to the ears of Ali and Jagdeo.
He has benefitted from large parcels on lands on the East Bank of Demerara; been handed contracts worth hundreds of millions to supply weapons to the army and police force; and even been illegally granted contracts by government to provide security for the recent distribution of cash grants to students.
It is estimated that he has received over $5 billion in contracts from Ali without public tender procurement.
Qualander has been providing security to Jagdeo and even lending personnel from his security firms to provide security for Ali before he was sworn in last year August.
A close confidante of Jagdeo, Qualander has been a shadowy figure suspected to be front man for Jagdeo and President Ali.
In fact, he had come under the crosshairs of the US government who revoked his visa and that of his immediate family from travelling to the US.
His links to arm dealers in Turkey has been cause of much concern to the US government.
However, US has reported reinstated his visa and he has been cooperating with authorities there, travelling often to Miami, Florida to talk with Federal agents on happenings in Guyana.
Qualander, or ‘Arafat’ as he is known, would have suddenly inherited a security company on Regent Street, after his brother-in-law died under mysterious circumstances.
His aunt died, he inherited her wealth. Death and money have been following Qualander, in his late 40s, wherever he goes.
But Arafat links is not only in Guyana. He had close connection with former ministers in Trinidad and he is reportedly setting up a concrete plant at Friendship, laundering millions of dollars for them.
He has received large plots of lands from President Ali under the Donald Ramotar presidency.
With regards to his connections, Arafat is not only boasting of being a cousin to President Ali, but is the businessman who is reportedly laundering hundreds of millions in ill-gotten dollars for third parties.
He has been accused of using his guns and connections to steal lands away from miners.
His stores are popular places to shop. Queensway and May’s on Regent Street, have been able to sell cheap as he has been accused of under-valuing imported goods, including guns and ammunition for which he is licensed.
There has been whispers of drug connections with growing concerns expressed by the top officials in the ruling party over President Ali’s close connections to Qualander, and other powerful businessmen from the Muslim communities.
It is believed that President Ali has become quiet as the Muslim businessmen have been lobbying to Jagdeo for contracts and concessions, reminding the PPP that they have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars in PPP’s last year’s elections and it is payback time now.
Wake-up Mr President.
Rajendra Persaud Jr
(To be continued)
