By Rehana Ahamad

WHILE the performances of presidents are often rated on the basis of their political views, it is safe to say that over the years, Guyana has had a crop of well-intentioned First Ladies; from Her Excellency Doreen Chung, all the way to Her Excellency Sandra Granger, they have all advocated for Guyana’s social advancement in their own ways.

The country’s newest First Lady, Mrs. Arya Ali, is no different. Within moments, one can see that the First Lady radiates poise, elegance, and the right amount of charm needed to hold such a distinguished ceremonial office. Added to her jovial personality is her intellect, which resonated during her exclusive interview with this publication on Wednesday morning at State House in Georgetown.

Mrs. Ali, who attended Sacred Heart Primary School then St. Joseph High School also completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Economics as well as a Post Graduate Diploma in Development Studies at the University of Guyana (UG). A believer in wholesome education, she is currently pursuing an International Master’s of Business Administration at the University of the West Indies (UWI).

In addition to being an obvious fashion icon, the new First Lady seems to have garnered much public favour as she continues to pursue several unique projects, including the ‘Adopt an Orphanage Initiative’, the ‘National Beautification Project’, and her ‘InclusAbility Programme’ which seeks to provide critical linkages between companies in search of employees and suitably qualified persons with disabilities seeking employment. The public announcement of the First Lady’s efforts to make sanitary pads free has also garnered significant support from almost every Guyanese woman and girl.

Although she appears to have been made for her role as a sophisticated public figure, Mrs. Ali, wife of Guyana’s Ninth Executive President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, hails from a humble upbringing.

WEALTH, DEATH AND THE DREADED LATRINE

During her pigtail-and-flouncy-dresses phase, then Arya Chandrabhan had everything a child could ever want – loads of trendy toys, a beautiful home with all amenities, and a warm family. Although sheltered, little Arya was able to immerse herself in some of the most wonderful activities that make for a fulfilling rural upbringing; she climbed countless fruit trees, played extensively in her father’s dusty lumberyard, and hitched many rides on the good ole’ neighbourhood donkey carts.

“I had my friends that used to come over and we used to play in the lumberyard, in the sawdust, ride on the road with our bikes; of course, Barbie was a big thing, so there was also that dollhouse phase,” Mrs. Ali reflected. She described her early childhood days as being “perfect.”

But soon enough, tragedy would strike and little Arya’s life would undergo drastic changes. Her parents were in the midst of a separation when her father Kishore died. At just nine years old, equipped with her belongings, a grieving heart, and her mother’s unwavering support, she was forced to cut ties with most of the luxuries that once characterised her childhood.
A saddened Arya moved into her mother’s very modest abode on the outskirts of Georgetown, where she had to quickly adapt to a new way of life. “Going to the yard toilet, and catching the bus was hard for me. The outside toilet traumatised me most,” Mrs. Ali recalled, as she sat in the warm, elegant décor of her new office at State House.

The once naïve young girl often complained about having to adjust to her new lifestyle, but her mother would always console her with the saying, “after one time, is a next.”
“I couldn’t understand what she was going through then. I needed to be more appreciative of what she did to get me where I am today,” the First Lady recognised.

Reflecting on her journey, Mrs. Ali said that life with her mother, an average single parent working to make ends meet, has provided her with invaluable tools needed to navigate life’s daily struggles; the kind of struggles that have heightened her ability to empathise –- a quality that she continues to utilise in the execution of her duties as the First Lady of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana –- a title she never thought of wearing.
“I wanted to become a typical mom, a typical wife; being able to travel like an average person; having a 9 – 5 job. Definitely nothing close to this,” Mrs. Ali said.
Asked about her childhood aspirations, the First Lady joked that she once considered entering a beauty pageant, but was restricted due to the unmet height requirements.

THE ROMANTIC PROPOSAL

So with her pageantry desires being a bit out of reach, a well-qualified Arya Chandrabhan secured a job with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) where she worked for several years, until she resigned to take up her new role as First Lady. In addition to rewarding experiences, Mrs. Ali’s stint at GRA would earn her a good friend who would eventually introduce her to the love of her life, ‘Irfaan’, a man who would eventually become Guyana’s ninth Executive President.

Mrs. Ali said that it took several meetings for the now President to “muster up the courage” to ask her out. She was just about 25 years old at the time. “And of course, I had to ask my mom to go out; at first I was kind of ‘iffy’ about it, because he was a Minister (of Housing and Water) at the time…honestly, my mother was ‘iffy’ about it too. I told him I needed my mom’s permission and so to go out and he took it upon himself to call her directly,” the blushing First Lady related.

She said that even though her mother had become convinced, her strict 22:00hrs curfew remained well intact and was fully adhered to. Mrs. Ali recalled her first date with the now President being a cozy dinner that resulted in her being smitten.

“We sat there and we talked and talked and talked…and the place wasn’t crowded, so we got to know each other a lot…we had so much in common,” the First Lady said candidly.
During the 12 months that would follow, Mrs. Ali would fall in love with the man behind the ministerial portfolio and the public image. “He was so determined and courageous…What I like most, though, even now, is that there is always something new to learn from him. Added to that, he is very, very, very kind…his generosity is enormous; even now, I see how much of a people’s person he is.”

Asked to serve up some details of the marriage proposal, the First Lady recalled things being done in grand style – romantic and spontaneous. “It was my 26th birthday, so we were at Sandals Resort in Barbados,” the First Lady recalled. She explained that as soon as they exited the plane, a rather conspicuous camera crew began following them; she was not particularly thrilled.

“I had just come off of work, and then the travel, and I was so exhausted. I realised something was happening though; I thought of it,” a smiling Mrs. Ali recalled.
The birthday celebration would take the form of a romantic candlelight dinner on the beach, followed by a pleasant stroll around the fascinating resort.
“The dinner finished, we had our walk; nothing happened; nothing that I expected or anticipated happened; mind you, the camera crew was still following us from since the airport.”
The inaction would throw Arya Chandrabhan off, at least until the following day. “He booked us one of the fine-dining restaurants…prior to going into the restaurant, the crew was telling us that they wanted us to do a mini photo-shoot, so I said, okay, fine. They took us to all these spots that they would have identified for us to take photos,” Mrs. Ali said.
She remembered stopping at a rather picturesque fountain and being asked to do a particular pose. “The cameraman was telling me to watch the fountain, and when I turned around, he’s going to capture the moment. So I did,” a jovial Mrs. Ali recalled.

Hoping to lock eyes with her beloved, Mrs. Ali’s eyes descended, only to find President Ali on his knees, with a ring in his hand, asking her to be his wife. Startled by the proposal, Mrs. Ali recalls responding awkwardly to the question.

“I was like, ‘what are you doing!? You need to get up!’ I was aware that there was a weird look on my face,” she said. After a couple of seconds to gather her thoughts, Arya Chandrabhan committed to becoming Mrs. Arya Ali. She would later learn of her future husband’s presidential aspirations. Slightly reserved about the idea of her husband being President, the couple tied the knot the following year, during an intimate Nikkah (Muslim wedding) ceremony. “If he had it his way, it would have been six months,” the flushed young lady related. The union would go on to produce a dashing youngster in the form of Master Zayd.

WEDDING PLANS AND PRESIDENTIAL ASPIRATIONS

As a heated campaign for the 2020 General and Regional Elections got underway, Mrs. Ali had become pregnant with the couple’s second child. During an interview with the Newsroom, the First Lady opened up about the death of her unborn child, and being forced to face her maternal tragedies alone and away from home. She had gone overseas to seek treatment, while her husband and son remained behind. When the coronavirus hit, the borders were sealed, and the then First Lady-in-waiting was stranded overseas.

“It was a hard time, I left the country two days just before the borders closed and I was stuck for three months overseas and there was no Irfaan, there was no Zayd; my mom wasn’t even at my side when I really needed them. That was a hard time for me,” the First Lady recalled during her heartening interview.

Even as she mourned the loss of a child, coupled with the emergence of the pandemic and the violence that ensued during the six-month-long elections, Mrs. Arya Ali stood beside her husband, willing and ready to serve Guyana. With the help of a solid support system, Mrs. Ali continues to overcome, bit by bit, the darkness that had engulfed her world in 2020.
Asked about her preparedness for the new role, Mrs. Ali admitted that she was somewhat clueless about her functions and much of what was required of her.
Fortunately, Arya Chandrabhan was just as stylish as Mrs. Arya Ali, so her transition to office did not require any ‘Princess Diary’-type transformations. She very much looked the part, but there was no one to provide a smidgen of guidance.

“My first day, I was clueless. I wished there was somebody who could’ve held my hand and say as a First Lady, this is what you could do, or this is what you can’t do….somebody to brief me on posture, smile, etc.”

The new First Lady said she would have appreciated it deeply, had any of the previous First Ladies reached out to provide any form of guidance. “I wish that was a custom. I had to come and find my way around; I had to pave the road myself,” she said.

Although clueless on her first day on the job, the First Lady, accessorised with her charm, met with the staff at the Office of the First Lady, after which she immediately acted on finalising her projects.

THINK TANK OF FORMER FIRST LADIES

As she continues to carve her own path, Mrs. Ali said she plans to learn from the work of the former First Ladies. Just as President Ali moved to establish a ‘Think Tank’ of former Presidents, Mrs. Ali is hopeful that a similar initiative could materialise for the First Ladies of Guyana, despite the political divisions. “I would love to hear what they have to say and how they can contribute to the development of our country, so definitely, but it will take a lot of understanding to get that off the ground,” Mrs. Ali noted.
She is also hopeful that a pleasant system could be put in place to ensure the smooth transition of First Ladies, especially since it is a ceremonial office with social responsibilities that should not be impacted by politics. “When I leave office, I plan to reach out to the next First Lady to provide tips and help her to assume her new role, because I very much wished I had someone to do that for me,” Mrs. Ali asserted.

ENTITLEMENT AND THE FIRST SON

Nonetheless, just as she is passionate about her portfolio and the projects being undertaken, the First Lady is also committed to being a good wife, and more importantly, an exceptional mother. At present, her biggest fear is her son growing up to be entitled.
“Let’s just say that this goes on for the next 10 years, this life is all he’s going to know…somebody opening a door; he’s going to know somebody making up his bed after him…that was one of my biggest worries,” the young mother confessed.
She said that both herself and the President have made a conscious commitment to raise their son to be a humble and respectful young man, regardless of him being in or out of the public’s eye.
“He would need to know these things. Not just because you’re the First Son means that you are better than anybody, because you are not. His dad is completely humble, so if he is to divert from something other than being humble, it would probably drive me up a wall,” Mrs. Ali told the Pepperpot Magazine.
Asked about life now, the First Lady lamented not being able to do any physical shopping, but she said that herself and the President have so far done well in ensuring that their Sundays are strictly for family time. “We would wake up late, have breakfast, play with Zayd and just spend a nice day together.”

In wrapping up a pleasant interview with this newspaper, the First Lady, being a good sport, agreed to answer a few rapid- fire questions.

Pepperpot (PP): Describe yourself in three words
First Lady (FL): Sensitive, generous, adamant.

PP: What is one klutz-like trait that you have?
FL: Being a little too giggly when I’m supposed to be serious.

PP: What is a piece of advice you wish you could give to your younger self?
FL: Live in the moment and appreciate things as they come, because “after one time, is a next”.

PP: What’s your favourite food?
FL: Chicken curry and rice

PP: Do you eat with your hand?
FL: Yes!

PP: Three things you do for fun
FL: Shopping is therapy; then being in the pool and playing with baby [Zayd]

PP: Three things you do to relax
FL: Sleep, watch Netflix, lay in the couch on my phone

PP: What’s your favourite TV show?
FL: Money Heist and Dynasty

PP: What is the most embarrassing thing that has ever happened to you?
FL: Almost slipping down the stairs at State House, twice, while people were watching!

PP: What are five must-haves in your closet?
FL: A black dress, a good pair of black shoes, a really good white shirt, a really good-fitting pair of jeans, and a nice red dress.

PP: What does your playlist sound like?
FL: Riddled with Soca. I love Soca. My favourite artiste is Machel; for locals, I also like Drewthoven.

PP: What are three important things you plan to teach Guyana’s First Son?
FL: Good mannerisms, humility, and responsibility.

PP: Who do you admire?
FL: Michelle Obama; I think she’s phenomenal in every aspect. Also I always really liked Yvonne Hinds; I liked her style, her grace; I feel as though she is very soft and was fitting to be First Lady.

PP: What is a principle you live by?
FL: Nothing is really constant; after one time, is a next!

PP: Who is your celebrity crush?
FL: Justin Timberlake

PP: Do you and the President do any of your own chores?
FL: Chores and the President? My goodness! That just doesn’t go hand in hand, but he is a really good cook and makes a tasty cook-up rice.

PP: What are three pieces of advice you would give to young women and girls?
FL: 1. Always be yourself. 2. No matter what your dreams are, keep pushing. 3. Bad days never last forever, because ‘after one time, is a next.’