The girl who allegedly set fire to the Mahdia girls’ dormitory is in jail on remand. She was taken before Magistrate Sunil Scarce to answer to 19 charges of murder. When that was announced someone said that she was firmly linked to President Irfaan Ali. The first thought was that she was related to him. And I asked the question only to get a negative answer.
This puzzle would certainly set many people thinking. Game Shows like Jeopardy would pay out a lot of money for the answer. However, back in Guyana all people have to do is think back to when Irfaan Ali was in the opposition.
Irfaan Ali was slapped with 19 fraud charges up until the Director of Public Prosecutions nolle prosequi the charges. The girl has since gone one up on the president. Sadly, another victim of that fire has died, taking the number of fatalities to 20. Under other conditions there would have been a number of press conferences. Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo would have called one to get out the message that the government wanted. President Irfaan Ali would have hosted one, too.
The Gyana Fire Service should have hosted one because there are so many questions. I have seen a report that a fire service officer had pointed out a number of infractions at the dormitory. It was further reported that the reports were sent to the Education Ministry. They were largely ignored. But more on this later.
Surely the Education Ministry authorised the grilling of the dormitory. Of interest is that this action was conducted without the knowledge of the regional administration. At least, that is what the Mayor of Mahdia has said.
In another two weeks there will be local government elections. The aim of these elections is to promote local democracy, whatever that means. The idea of regional governments is that the elected officials are responsible for the works in the regions. In this case, the regional authorities had no say in this work that was undertaken in Mahdia. Is local government a sporadic something? There were many unsung heroes in the wake of the fire. There were the people who rushed out of their homes to the scene. Many unhesitatingly jumped into action. They smashed a hole in the wall and went into the inferno.
One man spoke of dragging out children and returning to drag out more. Their stories would not have been told had it not been for social media. These people were talked about in the community. When the government team visited Mahdia even before the embers had cooled the team members were not reported to have met with these first responders. Had it not been for them more children would have died.
There is no word of the efforts of these responders being recognised, at least publicly. When Royden Williams broke out of the Mazaruni Prisons, recently, six persons were charged with permitting the escape. None other than the head of the Mazaruni Prisons is in jail because of the escape. The conclusion is that since he presided over the escaped prisoner leaving his cell he was complicit in the escape.
However, that principle has not been applied in the Mahdia dorm fire. The person who locked the children in the dorm has not been deemed liable for the deaths. After all, she did not set the fire. The same argument has not been applied in the case of the head of the Mazaruni Prisons. For a Death Row inmate to be released from his cell there must be the express permission of the Director of Prisons. He has not been deemed culpable in the escape. One lawyer for the six charged queried the reason for the Director not being charged. That issue may be argued during the trial.
People have been calling for resignations. Except when it is politically directed, resignations in Guyana do not happen.
Paul Slowe, a retired Assistant Police Commissioner, recently pointed to the spate of road accidents in one week. He also pointed to the $300 million fraud within the police Finance Department. There was another $300 million fraud in the Quartermaster’s Store. Slowe then drew attention to the Permanent Secretary in the Home Affairs Ministry. He concluded that there was more than enough to force the resignation of the Home Affairs Minister.
The Guyana Fire Service is politically controlled by the Home Affairs Minister. The Mahdia dorm fire made international news. The horror cannot be underplayed. The government has promised a lot to the survivors and to the parents of the victims. This is a worthwhile gesture but it is a good thing that there is no talk of legal action. The authorities were responsible for the children. The children died in their care.
It may be too little too late. The Guyana Fire Service is checking the fire safety at the dormitories. The Fire Chief said that these checks began even before the Mahdia Fire. There is no word about the reports. There were reports on the Mahdia dormitories in November 2022 and again in February. It is obvious that nothing was done.
The Mayor of Mahdia and his council were not recipients of these reports. But even if they were, one can only assume that they could have done nothing. Any attempt may have led to arrests because the police are quick to arrest anyone who offends the PPP. Former Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green claimed she was insulted by a man. The police quickly charged the man and placed him before the court.
What is the charge for insulting someone?
