Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, attorney-at-law Geeta Chandan-Edmond, is reiterating the call for a Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Mahdia Secondary School female dorm fire that caused the death of 19 girls and a five-year-old boy, the child of the Dorm Mother.
The fire which occurred on the evening of Sunday May 21 razed the dorm, has left the community of Mahdia devastated, still asking questions and coping with the trauma of the event. There is also a national unhappiness the government has allowed such devastation, particularly given a UNESCO report that highlighted the poor safety of school dorms across Guyana.
Chandan-Edmond noted that “as the government stumbles from crisis to crisis, answers on the loss of the lives of 20 children on May 21, 2023 at Potaro-Siparuni, must not get lost in the process.” She advised that the COIs into these tragic affairs are critical for the practice of good governance.
“Besides providing answers on the road to justice, COIs can submit recommendations that would ensure that there is no repeat of a tragic event,” she offered.
Underscoring the importance of addressing the issue, the shadow minister reminded that it has been more than a month the government has not moved to establish a COI to look into this regrettable incident.
Consequent to the inaction the Member of Parliament is making a push for the government to consult with civil society, the political Opposition and other interested parties to establish a COI “with the powers of a civil court to get to bottom of matters related to this sad event.”
Calling for immediate action, Chandan-Edmond reminded the option is available to President Irfaan Ali under Section II of the Commission of Inquiry Act. Further, she said, the formulation of the Terms of Reference (TOR) should be done in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition to ensure the Government appears to be interested in genuine justice.
The Indigenous people deserve and people of Guyana deserve action on the matter, she urged.
