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All Guyanese are living through unspeakable pain and anguish, and in moments of national crises the nation must come together to address and resolve these and move forward as a united people. So said the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC).
In a statement, the GTUC said the devastating fire at the Mahdia Secondary School presents opportunities for the nation to unite and Guyanese must seize the moment. 20 children, including a five-year-old boy, have lost their lives from a fire that razed the female dormitory three Sundays ago.
In the call for unity, the Union said it is deeply troubling the government feels it can deal with the tragedy alone, when the fire is of national concern and impacting all Guyanese. It is the Union’s opinion the government should involve the Opposition, trade unions representing the workers in the school, the religious community within the area, among other stakeholders on the matter, rather than the current selective and go-it-alone approach.
“President [Irfaan] Ali should have picked up the telephone, called Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton, and have the two engaged on the matter. This is the mature and proper thing to do and would be consistent with the nation’s political objective of ‘inclusionary democracy’ as outlined in Article 13 in the Constitution of Guyana.” To this end, the Union is calling on both leaders to come together, discuss the issue and find common ground how the nation could collectively move forward.
Turning attention to the victims and families, the Union flayed the government for its seemingly uncaring attitude to these persons’ psychosocial well-being. The Congress said the government’s approaches are not only deepening emotional and psychological trauma but are further putting at risk people’s hope things can get better in the future.
Government inflicting further trauma on the injured and aggrieved families
Touching on the issue of trauma, GTUC said the entire nation is traumatized by the tragedy, and mental health practitioners have advised parading the victims and grieving families does more harm than good to their emotional and psychological well-being. Reaction to trauma, the Union said, “could lead to a multiplicity of responses for the victims such as anxiety, behavioural changes, nightmares, affect academic performance, difficulty sleeping and eating, becoming fearful, having aches and pains, among other things.”
Calling for the display to cease, it was pointed out such treatment is dehumanising and adding more trauma. GTUC wants no expense spared in ensuring persons – victims, families and those in the community-are provided the requisite therapy and other support to restore normalcy in their lives.
Guyana must unite
Calling for unity, GTUC said it is deeply troubling the government feels it can deal with the tragedy alone, when the fire is of national concern and impacting all Guyanese. It is the Union’s opinion the government should have involved the Opposition, trade unions representing the workers in the school, the religious community within the area, among other stakeholders. .
The Mahdia community and all Guyana are composed of people of diverse political, social, cultural and economic interests and going the partisan route in hope political up-manship could resolve a national crisis, bring accountability and heal scars, is both short sighted and misguided, the Union asserted.
Drop charges against 15-year-old for the fire
The GTUC is calling for the charges against the 15-year-year old to be dropped. The teenager has been charged with 19-counts of murder. According to the Congress, the charges are misguided, geared more to public relations, giving the nation false hope, not getting to the bottom of the issue and holding those responsible accountable, but also a violation of the child’s right.
The arrest and so-called confession of the 15-year raises many critical questions, the Union charged, such as: “Was the right of this child protected? Was she coerced/traumatised into speaking? Did she have legal representation during questioning? Was she medically evaluated for her mental status? Where were her parents/guardians during the interrogation? Why charge her now when a Commission of Inquiry is yet to be established and persons, technical and otherwise, given the opportunity to be heard?”
The GTUC wants a more deliberative approach to getting to the bottom of the matter, out right stating the organisation “does not believe the loss of lives and devastation resulting from a fire, lit from an alleged irate child lighting of a mattress, secures answers for the failure to have a building fireproof to mitigate damages and provide an escape route for those within.”
Commission of Inquiry must be inclusive
GTUC said the organisation supports a Commission of Inquiry (COI) but with certain conditionalities. To this end, the body calls for a COI that has the input of pertinent stakeholders and comprising Terms of Reference that would provide the nation assurance this is not a partisan political body, funded by taxpayers, to provide an outcome that absolves some from responsibility.
“The COI must not only examine the cause(s) that led to the fire, identify the responsible institutions, policymakers and technicians for the safety and security of the building consistent with modern building codes, but also the conditions under which the staff and students work, learn and live.”
Recommendations must include holding those responsible accountable and ensuring all dormitory facilities across the country are fitted with the requisite building standards to ensure a tragedy of this nature is not repeated, the body asserted.
