By Frederick Halley
AS Guyana continues to mourn the lives lost in the tragic MV Barima ferry disaster, several faith leaders including Dr Shabir Ally, Gord Rankissoon, and Pandit Bhoj Sharma along with Honorary Consul Mani Singh, several dignitaries and Guyanese individuals offered prayers, compassion and solidarity for the deceased and their loved ones in this difficult period.
The service, conducted on Sunday in the Peace Park on the grounds of the Vishnu Mandir at 8640 Yonge St. Toronto, was held under the auspices of Dr Budhendranath Doobay and Winston Kassim, the only two Canadians with Guyanese heritage who were recognised by the Canadian federal and provincial governments for their Global volunteerism and were the recipients of Canada’s highest civilian awards, the Orders of Canada and Ontario.
Collectively, the faith leaders prayed for the mercy and blessings of the souls of those who departed, while asking for the comfort and giving courage to their families during this difficult period.
The leaders also asked for the requisite strength to all responders involved in the ongoing recovery efforts for those who are missing and prayed for the responders’ protection, wisdom and strength as they continue their critical work. They also prayed for the safe recovery of the loved ones who remained missing so that their families and loved ones may find peace as they move forward.
According to Kassim, Canadians applaud the Guyana Government for doing everything in supporting the departed souls, their families and communities both monetarily and spiritually and also recognized that the government intends to continue doing so in future.
Kassim further remarked that “notwithstanding the Guyana Government’s excellent response since the tragedy occurred, Dr Doobay and himself have received a number of calls from individuals stating that they should proactively do something to support the impacted communities. He pointed out that they readily agreed to the initiative.
Kassim further pointed out that “in all religions, we are taught that when we know someone is in need, we should never allow that person to ask for help. Rather, it is our duty to offer that support proactively without thinking what others are doing or not doing.
“So, I am delighted to announce that IDRF with several mosques in the Greater Toronto Area and Vishnu Mandir’s Global Outreach and other Mandirs will start a joint fund-raising drive to collect funds indicating that these funds from Canada will enable development work for the impacted communities at a later date.
“In other words, we will support efforts on teaching folks how to fish rather than giving them the fish to eat”
Kassim thanked everyone for attending the event and announced that several individuals and the Muslim community within the Greater Toronto area have already made pledges in excess of Canadian $50,000.00 to support the development work in Guyana.
