President ignored deep sense of loss — Jamil Changlee — Opinion

President ignored deep sense of loss

September 3, 2026·5 min read

Dear Editor,

The President’s feature address at the opening of Amerindian Heritage month^[1] did not begin with a moment of silence in honour of those who died in the recent tragedy. Instead, his speech focused on money spent and investments made by the PPP/C over the years. The only exception was a comment buried late in his speech where he stated that “we feel the hurt of the tragedy”. After which he quickly transitioned into a summary of the investments being made in the Amerindian community that he spoke of in detail earlier and asked the audience to look beyond the current crisis. He also did not speak of measures being taken to improve safety. Instead, he spoke of what is going well in other areas. Even though the audience had people dressed in black with faces of sadness the President’s address to the audience avoided acknowledging the mood in the community. Instead, he turned his address to the Amerindian community into a political platform where he took the opportunity to speak poorly of his political opponents even though they have offered sincere support to the community during some of the worst tragedies in the history of our country.

Money and development do help improve lives, but it is unfortunate that the President continues to sidestep the emotional distress that these tragedies have caused. The President showed that he prefers to focus on other areas that the funds from the oil sector have allowed the PPP/C to invest in. Unfortunately, the oil windfall that has provided the funds for investment could be leveraged by any political party in government that is willing to invest across the country. What will mark the difference between the parties is their ability to sincerely empathize, respect and care for the people they lead. Our beautiful land is filled with immense emotion. Our people are a caring people and every person aspiring for a role in leadership must not discard his or her feelings and sense of justice. These two key aspects of a person’s persona are closely connected to our ability to empathize. The further one strays from the pursuit of justice for others the less that person will be able to understand and feel the emotions brought about by another’s experience. This appears to be the current situation.

We should not throw out the baby with the bath water or in this case the dead with the sea water, and we must not ignore the fact that the dead exist. Currently, the PPP/C has birthed two of the worst tragedies in the history of Guyana’s Amerindian community and justice for those affected by these tragedies remains elusive. People may forget what you have done for them, but they will never forget how you have made them feel. This is the unfortunate gap that the current administration is creating between itself and the people of Guyana.

CRG once again extends sincere condolences to those affected by the recent tragedies that have caused many deaths in the Amerindian community that could have been avoided. Hopefully, urgent steps will be taken to ensure that tragedies of this magnitude and type will never happen again. Guyanese lives matter!

Sincerely,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana

References

President warns Indigenous people against ‘wolves’ bearing gifts - Kiskadee Watch — kiskadeewatch.com ↩

President warns Indigenous people against ‘wolves’ bearing gifts - Kiskadee Watch

kiskadeewatch.com · 2026-09-02

By Staff Editor Wed, September 2 2026, 2:15 AM GMT-4 President Irfaan Ali (centre) during his address (DPI photo) -in apparent swipe at Opposition Leader over MV Barima aid ... President Irfaan Ali last evening appeared to accuse Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed of using assistance to Indigenous communities affected by the MV Barima disaster to advance his political interests and escape his legal difficulties, warning residents against “wolves” arriving in fast boats with hampers and expressions of sympathy. ... Without naming Mohamed, Ali told those gathered for the opening of Amerindian Heritage Month at the Amerindian Village, Sophia, not to allow their concerns to become “somebody else’s escape route for their own legal troubles” or “a ticket to avoid jail.” ... “Be careful about those who suddenly appear among you when there is a crisis, arriving in fast boats, bearing hampers and expressions of sympathy, presenting themselves as champions of your interests,” the President said. ... Mohamed deployed a private boat during the search and recovery operations following the July 18 sinking of the MV Barima. His team also distributed relief supplies to affected communities and families. ... Ali described unnamed persons as “wolves” and invoked the biblical warning about false prophets appearing in sheep’s clothing. ... He accused them of attempting to ... often emerged during crises ... Ali also used the story of the Trojan horse to caution Indigenous people against accepting apparently generous assistance without examining the motives of those providing it. ... “Sometimes the gravest danger is the person who comes smiling, bearing gifts and claiming to be your friend,” he said. ... Meanwhile, Ali also expressed dissatisfaction with telecommunications providers over their limited service in hinterland communities and called for increased investment to close the communication gap with the coast. ... “We are dissatisfied with Digicel and GTT and all the other service providers—ENet and everyone,” the President said. “They have to make more investment in the hinterland. They have to bridge the communication divide.” ... He said it was unacceptable that ... along the Soesdyke-Linden Highway ... adequate coverage because the necessary towers ... “They must make the investment,” Ali said. ... According to Ali, US$19.6 million has been invested in information and communications technology in the hinterland. ... He said 179 low-Earth-orbit satellite terminals had been installed and high-speed connectivity extended to 253 villages. ... Ali said $3.6 billion had been invested in hinterland connectivity between 2020 and 2026. ... The President also announced that the government would launch a special housing development for hinterland families. ... Ali said more than $2 billion had already been invested in housing for Indigenous communities. ... He also listed investments in roads, electricity, water, education, healthcare and village economies. ... The President said hinterland electricity-generating capacity had increased from 1.62 megawatts to approximately 17.5 megawatts, while water coverage had moved from 45% to 95%. ... According to him, 260 new water systems had been constructed and more than 400 were operating. ... address, Ali paused to lift a young girl standing behind him as part of a cultural group. ... “This can be the next president of this country because we’re investing to give everyone the opportunity to stand behind a podium like this one day,” he said. ... Ali said government investment should ensure that Indigenous people were participants in and beneficiaries of Guyana’s economic transformation rather than spectators.

Sources

President ignored deep sense of loss in Kiskadee Watch, September 3, 2026
President ignored deep sense of loss in Kaieteur News, September 3, 2026