-during visit to Mabaruma
President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday pledged that the government’s support for families affected by the MV Barima disaster would not be fleeting, while outlining several planned infrastructure and social projects during a meeting with residents of Mabaruma and surrounding communities.
Ali, who said it was his third visit to Mabaruma in less than 12 days, told the gathering that the recently established HEART Initiative would provide long-term material, financial, spiritual and emotional support to affected families following the July 18 capsizing of the ferry with the deaths of 73 persons and another 30 unaccounted for.
“Our presence as a government will not be a fleeting presence, but…everything we do will be always in honour of your family, in honour of you and in honour of your communities,” he said in a video posted on his Facebook page.
The President said lawyers, psychologists, psychiatrists, doctors, social workers, private-sector representatives and religious leaders were involved in the initiative. He added that the Men on Mission programme had offered to construct and maintain homes for children or families left in need as a result of the tragedy.
Ali also pointed to the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry, a separate team examining safety issues and the invitation of expressions of interest from companies to salvage the vessel.
“At the end of the COI, we will have the recommendations that will allow us to move forward together,” he said.
The President acknowledged what he described as five placard-bearing protesters outside the meeting, saying they had subsequently entered to listen. He suggested that persons could sometimes be “misguided by narratives that are far away from the truth.”
He also questioned the motives of four persons who had protested at an earlier meeting after, he claimed, their requests for black tanks and zinc sheets had been addressed.
“The only motive of this meeting today is to listen to you and to share with you some of our plans,” Ali said.
Turning to the government’s development programme, the President said approximately $7.5 billion had been invested in Mabaruma and neighbouring communities over the past five years, benefiting more than 10,000 residents, or almost 2,000 households. He said the figure covered completed, ongoing and planned projects.
According to Ali, 30 new water systems have been completed and access to potable water in the area has risen from 38% in 2020 to 90%. He said additional wells were to be completed at Mabaruma Settlement, Whitewater, Wauna and Hosororo.
On electricity, Ali acknowledged that rising demand had outstripped available generating capacity despite the addition of a 900-kVA generator and extensions of the network to several communities.
Off-grid solar system
“As a result, you have had power outages. So now we have to work on further expanding the electricity system, putting in more generating capacity,” he said, adding that the government may consider an off-grid solar system.
He said 1,700 solar home systems had been installed in Region One but acknowledged reports that some required maintenance or replacement parts. An audit of systems in all communities would be conducted in the coming weeks, he said.
The President also said that almost $3 billion had been spent on education and youth development. Another recruitment drive for the police force, fire service and army would be launched in Region One in the coming weeks, he added.
On healthcare, Ali said patient visits had increased from 57,000 in 2020 to almost 87,000 in 2025, which he attributed to better staffing and the availability of drugs at health facilities.
He also announced a housing programme targeting elderly persons, persons with disabilities and single parents experiencing difficult circumstances.
“We’re going to launch a specific programme to support you in building your own home, because we want persons to live in places of dignity and honour,” he said.
Ali said the government intended to support increased food production and investment in poultry, livestock, swine and egg production, along with the expansion of the coffee, cocoa, citrus, ginger and spice industries. He also spoke of creating ecotourism opportunities and helping young people access financing through the Guyana Development Bank.
Among the other projects announced were the conversion of the Mabaruma Post Office into a government service centre offering NIS, civil registration, tax, passport and other services, as well as possible access to automated teller machines.
Ali said the Savannah Blackwater creek would be dredged using local labour where possible, while the proposed Smith Creek Health Centre and the second phase of the Tobago-to-Wauna road were already out for tender.
He also announced plans to expand the empoldering of farmland at Hotoquai from 50 to 100 acres and to transfer funds to the regional administration for the construction of the Aruka Mouth Nursery School. A technical team would assess the Barabina bridge, he added.
The President said officials would also seek to resolve longstanding land-ownership issues affecting families at Broomes Estate and provide a dedicated electricity supply for Guyana Water Incorporated’s operations to facilitate a 24-hour water supply.
“We have the staff here…dealing with those issues,” Ali told residents, while inviting them to raise their community priorities and personal concerns with representatives of the government agencies present.
Discussion