– As he addressed Toshaos by phone as rescue and recovery efforts continue
– Says every commitment to Indigenous communities will be pursued
PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday night assured Amerindian leaders gathered for the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference that the Government’s immediate national priority remains supporting families affected by the MV Barima tragedy and exhausting every possible effort in the ongoing search and recovery operation.
Dr Ali made this known while addressing the Toshaos via Vice-President Dr Bharrat Jagdeo’s cell phone from Charity, Region Two, where he has remained since the incident occurred.
The Head of State apologised for being unable to attend the conference, explaining that he had chosen to stay with affected families as recovery efforts continue.
“As you know, our national priority, in addition to the NTC, is to bring as much relief and comfort to the families and to optimise every available opportunity in the rescue and recovery,” the President said.
He noted that government agencies have been working around the clock since the tragedy, not only to provide support to grieving relatives but also to maximise every opportunity to locate survivors and recover those who remain missing.
“We have been working around the clock, all of the government agencies here, so that we can not only support the families but ensure maximum effort… if any possibility exists of any rescue,” he said.
President Ali disclosed that technical teams were still up to late Thursday evening working to move the vessel into shallower waters to improve divers’ access to areas of the wreck that remain inaccessible.
“As I speak to you now, our team is still working, trying to get the ship into shallow waters so the divers could have greater opportunity to get into the ship because, as it is now, from the information from the divers, there are still some amount of persons in the ship that we’re trying to get to,” he said.
He stressed that every effort is being made to recover victims so that their families can receive the closure they deserve.
Meanwhile, the president extended his apologies to the leaders for not being able to join the NTC conference in person but noted that he had been following up with cabinet members on the ground on what has been discussed over the past few days.
While reaffirming that the response to the MV Barima tragedy remains the government’s immediate focus, President Ali assured Indigenous leaders that the commitments made during the conference would not be sidelined.
“I want you to know that every single commitment and every single priority that has been identified will be pursued,” he declared.
As such, the Head of State said the government intends to intensify efforts over the next four years to create greater economic opportunities in hinterland and riverain communities.
Among the key priorities, he identified expanded job creation, improved public services, increased productivity and stronger support for sustainable livelihoods.
He also acknowledged discussions held during the conference on housing, economic opportunities, scaling up production and the implementation of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), noting that the Government’s overall investment package for Indigenous communities surpasses previous levels of support.
“We are looking forward to continuing the work with every community and ensuring that we can build not only safe communities and productive communities, but communities that can not only be self-sufficient but create opportunities for the citizens and the residents within those communities,” President Ali said.
He further assured the Toshaos that the government will continue implementing a national strategy aimed at enhancing economic activity, boosting productivity and creating a sustainable framework for development across Indigenous villages.
