Senior Counsel and Member of Parliament (MP), Mr. Roysdale Forde, brought fellow Opposition Members of the National Assembly to their feet in a minute of silence for those who suffered in the recent Mahdia fire. In a passionate presentation to the House about the death of the 20 Indigenous children, Forde expressed disappointment that at the first sitting of the National Assembly, since the tragedy, the House sought to ignore the matter.
Leading up to the observance Forde told the House he was disappointed that the Government brought a piece of legislation on development to the House yet ignored to acknowledge the “unfortunate circumstances” that resulted in “loss of the lives of 20 young children” in the “august body.” Consequently, he said he will cede some of his time to do so.
Forde took matters into his own hands, while making his presentation on a Bill. He invited colleagues on both sides of the House to stand in observance of a minute ‘s silence for the victims. Whilst the Government MPs did not budge from their seats, efforts by Speaker Manzoor Nadir to prevent the entire House from rising failed to deter the Opposition MPs from doing so.
In an invited comment about his decision, Forde told Village Voice News he is “deeply disturbed at the Government’s disrespect for what is a national tragedy and ….find[s] such behaviour anti-national, anti-citizens, anti-indigenous people, and anti-Guyanese.”
According to the MP, who is also a senior counsel, this is the worst tragedy Guyana’s children have suffered in the history of Guyana but the government continues to act with little or no concern for the pain and trauma citizens are still suffering, and that people are still seeking answers and accountability, which they have a right to. This, he asserted, is evident when attention is given to the fact the Government first addressed the House and said nothing of the tragedy.
Responding to the question about the Government’s non-participation in the moment of silence, the MP said it was a decision the Government took, and whilst they felt it fit not to register their empathy in the House, he disagrees with their action but was not surprised. “The People’s Progressive Party, under the leadership of Mr. Bharat Jagdeo and President Irfaan Ali, is clearly only concerned about a few and not the masses of people who continue to suffer under their authoritarian leadership.”
Asked why the Opposition MPs did not heed the Speaker’s advice to sit, until the one-minute of silence was observed, Forde opined, ” there is no wrong time to do what is right. When Guyanese look back at this moment it will be recorded that their elected representatives, in the people’s House and nation’s highest decision-making forum, did not take the tragedy that befell them lightly and without seeking to record the memory of their lives and death and what it meant to our country. He declared that the community of Mahdia has lost much, continues to suffer, and still needs the support of all to get through this difficult period.”
According to MP-who has the portfolio of shadow attorney general and minister of legal affairs- though it was regrettable only some MPs marked their respect for these lives in Parliament, we the people must never fail, never refuse, when called upon to memoralise the pain and loss of the Amerindian community on any occasion, regardless of the differences we may have, regardless of our politics, regardless of our history.
“We are all Guyanese and the suffering and pain of any one must be the pain of everyone. Our motto is and will always be, One People, One Nation, One Destiny; not the hypocritical Ali, Jagdeo / PPP “One Guyana” mantra that sees the creation of further divisions in society.”
On the evening of Sunday, May 21, 2023, fire razed through the female dormitory at. Mahdia Secondary School, Region 8, resulting in the tragic deaths of 20 children and injuries of several. One of the children had to be rushed to the United States for care. According to a government’s report, she is expected to return home shortly. The five-year-old son of the dorm mother also perished in the inferno. The government said the victims’ families have signed an agreement to receive $5 million for the loss of life and $3 million for injuries resulting from the tragedy.
It is not unusual for a tragedy of this nature to be addressed in parliament given its national importance and the loss of so many children’s lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY89QLHFsyo
