-says opposition using tragedy for political gain, not justice

VICE-PRESIDENT, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday accused the APNU+AFC opposition of exploiting the death of 11-year-old Adriana Younge for political purposes, saying the coalition’s public statements and actions show a greater interest in “dragging out the issue” rather than uncovering the truth.

At his weekly press conference, Jagdeo slammed Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton for publicly declaring that Adriana did not drown, a statement made in direct contradiction to the forensic findings and conclusions of three independent pathologists, including one retained by the girl’s family.

“He basically went along with the question of the reporter that it somehow was a murder. ‘She did not drown. It’s a murder, and there’s a cover-up here,’” Jagdeo recalled.

“So, it just tells you a lot about Mr Norton himself. These are the people who call for fact-based approaches to issues.”

Jagdeo noted that the pathologists, with over 50 years of combined experience and thousands of autopsies conducted, were in agreement about the cause of death.

“Now Norton, he knows more than the three pathologists. He concluded it’s not drowning. He did his own autopsy,” the VP said sarcastically.

He argued that the opposition’s rejection of expert findings is part of a larger political strategy aimed at keeping the issue alive for electoral benefit.

“Clearly, they want this issue to drag on. It suits their political purpose. They have no sympathy for this child. They don’t care too much about the child,” Jagdeo said.

The Vice-President emphasised that had it not been an election year, Adriana’s death would not have received such attention from the coalition.

“Had it not been us approaching election season, they would not have cared at all,” he asserted.

Jagdeo accused APNU+AFC of using Adriana’s memory to fill a political void created by their lack of deliverables.

“Nobody has been paying any attention to the PNC and AFC and APNU because they don’t have any achievements. They don’t have anything to campaign on,” he said.

The Vice-President highlighted a flyer circulated by the opposition promoting a “Justice for Adrianna” event.

He noted that the flyer not only featured an AI-generated image of the child, but also misspelled her name and used party colours — evidence, he said, of the opposition’s real intentions.

“This is what they’ve been pushing… ‘APNU invites you to join us to reclaim our stolen mandate and demand justice.’ So, this is how they are mobilising people now, using this child as a pawn, no sympathy,” Jagdeo said.

He added, “So this is not about justice anymore.”

Jagdeo reaffirmed that the government is committed to getting to the bottom of Adriana’s death and that investigations are still ongoing.

“Whether it is by natural cause or negligence when she was in the pool… or was it foul play, we clearly have to conclude the investigation. That’s ongoing now,” he said.

He expressed frustration with the opposition’s refusal to accept any findings that do not align with their political narrative.

“Norton has already said it, ‘forget it, this child did not drown.’ And I suspect if 1,000 pathologists say that, including their own pathologist, they’re not going to be satisfied,” he said.

Jagdeo warned that the opposition’s continued politicisation of the tragedy was also a veiled attempt to stoke racial division.

“They’re hoping to repolarise the country… because the racism that they were utilising all the time was becoming less potent,” he said.

He stressed that the nation must not allow political actors to twist a national tragedy into a campaign tool.

“The whole country was upset with this child’s death. We are all upset about the misleading statement that the police gave. I condemn it right here,” Jagdeo said, reminding that he had demanded answers from law enforcement from the outset.

“This was never a matter of race,” he said before adding, “They can’t talk about fixing, building, or getting a house lot… They can’t talk about the children’s grant, they took it away. They can’t talk about the old age pension—we now doubled it. What are they going to talk about except this issue?”

As the investigation into Adriana Younge’s death continues, Jagdeo reiterated the government’s call for transparency and facts, and called on all political actors to put the child’s dignity and justice above political opportunism.

“We owe it to her to find out the truth. But the opposition isn’t interested in truth. They’re interested in narrative and it’s a dangerous one.”