…says govt. moving to overhaul safety, infrastructure standards
(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali said the MV Barima tragedy continues to weigh heavily on him, with the loss leaving him with sleepless nights, while his government moves to use the lessons from the tragedy to strengthen safety, infrastructure, leadership and accountability.
Speaking during an interview on Sunday, the head of state described the recurring pain and sleepless nights that have followed the tragedy, stressing that leadership requires standing firm through every circumstance.
President Irfaan Ali
He said the country must move forward without forgetting those who were lost, while ensuring that the tragedy leads to changes in the systems and standards designed to protect citizens.
“Our task, therefore, is to navigate the future from the harsh lessons of that tragedy and every other tragedy, and to build in the memories of those who we lost, a system, a new culture of safety, infrastructure, leadership and responsibility that would utilise the loss as a new beginning for a stronger, deeper, more efficient system, and that is what we are doing,” President Ali said.
Acknowledging the personal toll of the MV Barima tragedy, the president expressed the profound weight he continues to carry as the leader of the nation.
“That tragedy continues to be a heavyweight, still a lot of sleepless nights,” he admitted. “It is something that I wish never happened. It was something I wish the families in our country would have never had to go through. But it happened. And I’m the president. I’m the leader. And a leader must not only be a leader in the good times. You have to be a leader in every circumstances.”
Drawing on his personal values, President Ali noted that faith provides the necessary foundation to view the tragedy from different perspectives, including that of grieving families and the first responders and healthcare workers who gave their best under horrific conditions.
“Faith allows you to understand things from a different context,” he explained. He cited the heroics of first responders and healthcare workers who gave their best under horrific conditions.
“As a leader, you have to process it from a leader perspective, from a country perspective, from the family’s perspective, from every perspective.”
While praising the resilience of citizens and the dedicated response of his cabinet and support teams, the president also addressed the challenge of navigating politicised responses during the period of national mourning.
“It was an emotive time for the entire country. But to deal with those who use this emotive period, painful period, to score political points, that was also difficult because there was an agenda that was different from the national agenda of dealing with a tragedy. But that is how life is. That is how political leadership is. You have to deal with every reaction to different circumstances.”
Highlighting the long-term role of government, President Ali stated that providing material, emotional and spiritual support to surviving relatives is not a temporary task, but a permanent obligation.
He emphasised that the nation can never simply return to business as usual, committing to keep the affected families permanently integrated into the broader national community.
“If I am to understand my superior mandate through faith, I know I have a duty and responsibility to those families,” the president said.
Source: Kaieteur News
