Shadow Minister of Home Affairs, Geeta Chandan Edmond yesterday pilloried the government for its failure to establish the promised Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the Mahdia dormitory fire that claimed 20 lives.
“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.
“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.
“After one month and two days, the government has not moved to establish a COI to look into this regrettable development”, Chandan Edmond lamented.
She reiterated calls for the government to consult with civil society, the political Opposition and other interested parties to establish a Commission with the powers of a civil court to get to bottom of matters related to the fire.
“I hereby remind that this option is available to the President under Section II of the Commission of Inquiry Act. Further, the formulation of the Terms of Reference (TOR) should be done in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition to ensure that the Government appears to be interested in genuine justice. This should be done immediately. The Indigenous People deserve this. The people of Guyana deserve this”, she said.
Aside from the COI, the government also has to say what it did with a year-old report which warned about fire safety at the same dorm where the fatal fire occurred. Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has refused to say what she did with the report. It is unclear if President Irfaan Ali was aware of the report.
