Is the Mahdia inquiry serious?

Nov 10, 2023 Letters

Dear Editor,

In the aftermath of the Mahdia tragedy that claimed the lives of 20 children, the salient question remains: how serious is the ongoing Commission of Inquiry? Given the facts that the dormitory where the fire occurred was deemed unsafe by both fire personnel and regional executives, one can surmise that if the government could not fix the unsafe conditions to protect the lives of children prior to the worst fire in Guyana in recent times. It begs the question: would the PPP regime act with any semblance of alacrity to enact and construct what the Commission decides? The answer is an unequivocal NO! Guyanese can recall that a report on school dormitories was commissioned by the Ministry of Education and was done by Deen and Partners, paid for by UNICEF and shared with the relevant agencies/authorities years before this tragedy occurred. It stands to reason that very little was done since the report was issued.

Education Minister, Priya Manichand, known for her feral blast infamy at the US Ambassador’s residence, is a vital link in the chain of events leading up to the fire, yet she will not be called upon to testify! In fact, President Ali should have asked for her resignation, instead he has offered the parents of the deceased children a few million dollars, which is insulting and offensive. As a former Minister of Social Services, who was in the past at the time of the murder and dismemberment of teenager Neesa Gopaul in 2011, this office holder had two bites of the guava indicating a fat heap of knowledge of the state of dorms across the country. She remains ultimately responsible because she failed to act and follow up with the seriousness and speed that the UNICEF report which she commissioned had proposed. Instead, she has sent her assistant to testify who was asked why still nothing was done considering the UNICEF report, the Chief Education Officer Saddam Hussein replied that ‘the Department of Education in Region Eight has no say on how things should be done in the Region even though that region’s education department is entrusted with those responsibilities. Mr. Hussein’s response is a clear indication that he is not honest.

The sad reality is the incessant outpourings of social media and the dailies on her inability to properly manage the department of education. Many believe that she is incompetent and her failure to obtain copies of the UNICEF recommendations is solid proof of her dereliction of her duties. The truth is the Minister of Education- bears full responsibility for the maintenance of the dorms. Declaring to the media that she is responsible for running the dorm only and not to fix or repair anything safety or otherwise is far from the truth. If the safety of the dorm falls under the local and regional authorities, then why the former Minister Nigel Dharamlall is not testifying? The PPP government is known to have never taken responsibility for any major disaster.

They always blame the opposition. This is how the PPP government has and continues to operate under the honcho and de facto president who is the only person known to have used uses an honorary Doctorate in front of his name. Shame on him!

Judging from testimony and the unwillingness by the minister to testify seems to be political directive from the de facto president, the ultimate ruler of Guyana. Millions have been spent on the Inquiry but whatever is unearthed and recommended could have been avoided but the PPP government never listen to its advisors because the de facto president believes he knows it all. I want the public to know that as a builder] I have more than 25 years experienced in New York, in several areas including building codes, electrical and plumbing codes, fire safety and hazardous materials, construction designs, and quality control, among others. I have offered my services free of charge on numerous occasions to various ministers, the VP and the President but was not taken seriously. The best advice for the Commission is to recommend a guideline for safety in all buildings. In other words, a safety system with the acronym R-A-C-E-E, which stands for RESCUE, ALARM, CONTAIN, EXTINGUISH and EVACUATE. God bless the children and adults of Guyana with this uncaring PPP government.

Sincerely,

Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine

Real Estate builder

Education Minister, Leyland Chitlall Roopnaraine, Mahdia, Priya Manichand, tragedy, UNICEF

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Is the Mahdia inquiry serious?

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