By Derwayne Wills

ALMOST a week after a devastating fire at the Hadfield Street Drop-in Centre which claimed the lives of two brothers, ages 6 and 3, President David Granger has ordered a commission of inquiry into the July 8 tragedy.Cabinet Secretary Joseph Harmon made the announcement on Thursday during a post cabinet media briefing, where he revealed that Colonel Windee Algernon will be appointed to serve on the one-person commission.

The terms of reference of the commission have not yet been released to the public, but Harmon said the President expects a full report by the end of this month.

Since the fire, government has taken full responsibility and is opting to pay for the funeral of the two boys.

The centre falls under the control of the Social Protection Ministry, which is headed by subject Minister Volda Lawrence.

“Anytime a Guyanese life is lost, some inquiry has to take place,” Minister Harmon told the press corps on Thursday.

“The life of those two children who perished in the fire, it is something which we deeply regret as a State,” the Cabinet Secretary said.

Joshua and Antonio George, now deceased, were taken into the State’s care along with their three other siblings on July 6, following allegations of unfit conditions at their Chapel and Norton Street home.

Since the fire, their mother Sonia George, 37, and her partner, Leon George, 51, have gone back and forth in an effort to be reunited with their three surviving children.

The parents were allowed to see their children briefly on Wednesday at the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA), Charlestown.

President Granger, following the news of the deadly fire, expressed sadness and has given a commitment to work with the Social Protection Ministry and other authorities to ensure that those affected by the fire were given psycho-social support.

Meanwhile, during his weekly recording of The Public Interest, the President noted that the children at the Hadfield Street home were not trained in how to respond to emergencies.

He justified the need for an investigation as he reflected on the physical and psychological conditions at the home, which housed 31 children at the time of the fire.

The President expressed his preference for children to remain with their families, adding that it was only because of extreme circumstances which lead to Joshua, Antonio and their three siblings being taken from their residence.

“The government doesn’t go around trying to separate children from their parents. Children need the support and love and care which can come from a family,” the President said.

His position was similar to that of the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) Guyana representative, Marianne Flach.

Flach said there is still work to be done, but “children in the first three years of life… are very vulnerable” since this phase is where the most development occurs.

She said this while stating that there are circumstances where placing small children into institutions in unavoidable. Flach believes that the best environment for children is within their own family environment. As it relates to Guyana, the UNICEF representative said “what is needed is legal systems that make sure children under three years are not put into institutions.”

The UN children’s agency in Guyana has been in contact with both the Social Protection Minister, and the Child Care and Protection Agency head, Ann Greene.
As pressure continues to mount from civil society organisations for the resignation of Minister Lawrence in light of the devastating outcome of the fire, neither President Granger nor Cabinet spokesman Harmon seems convinced of this pressure.

Minister Harmon stated that “there will always be pressure” as he responded to a question on the matter of the petition against Minister Lawrence.
When posed with the same question, President Granger said the commission of inquiry will look at the way forward. This way forward, however, does not involve the “rolling of heads.”

“We don’t investigate matters to roll heads, we investigate matters to solve problems,” the President said.

Just a few days before the death of the two brothers, the Guyana Government implemented, with the help of UNICEF, a standard for day care centres along the East Coast of Demerara.

Social Protection officials were since informed of the need for effective fire drills. UNICEF is working along with the Granger administration to ensure those standards are put into effect.

Guyana is currently hosting the Hague Convention Conference, an international body which carries the rights of children at the core of its work.