Mahdia is trending throughout Guyana and the World. Many have had their say about the tragic fire that took the lives of 19 Guyanese Children and injured many others. There were some who are using this tragedy to position themselves socially and politically.

We found the following piece by Attorney-at-Law, Ronald J. Daniels on the Mahdia fire to be a true reflection of who we have become. And we hope that his writings at this time will be the fuel we need to make the cultural changes necessary for us to grow into our best selves.

+ THE FUEL THAT IGNITED MAHDIA: Written by Ronald J. Daniels May 22, 2023

So, let’s talk.

If I offend you with the lines that follow, I do mean to. But before I do…

Protesting after the Mahdia Secondary School Dorm fire, which claimed the lives of 19 children. Photo from Michael McGarrell
Protesting after the Mahdia Secondary School Dorm fire, which claimed the lives of 19 children. Photo from Michael McGarrell

 

I must say that there are no words. There are no words I can say to the parents, siblings, relatives, and friends of the children who lost their lives and were injured at Mahdia to lift from their shoulders and hearts the crippling weight of this loss and their pain. There are no words that will push back time so that we do not find ourselves here. The pain in my heart and the tears in my eyes, I am sure, would never match the depth of hopelessness felt by these children as they looked at death squarely in the eyes.
How can I say that “I am sorry for your loss” when I have contributed to your loss? I can’t! If I do, I am not being honest with myself. What I will say instead, is that “To the parents, siblings, relatives, and friends of those who lost their lives and those who were injured, I acknowledge my role in your loss and your pain. I am sorry for my role.”

My mentor reminded me tonight that we sit in overloaded and speeding minibuses with deafening lewd music and we either remain silent or team up with the driver or conductor to ‘cuss-up’ the lone passenger that may protest. I have loaded and conducted these buses! We sit in speedboats without life jackets, or with life jackets not properly secured, and we take them off when we are a tad more than three quarters of our journey. I have done this! We freely dump garbage on our roadways and waterways. Look me here! We demand and give bribes for performing the functions we are paid to do. I have given! We construct our homes and our commercial buildings haphazardly without approved plans, and/or without regard to building codes. I have lived in these!

This is just a screenshot of our culture.

This culture produces a country that is an eyesore and health-sore; this culture produces carnage on our roadways; this culture produces carnage in our waterways; this culture produces reckless and negligent deaths. This culture produces administrative incompetence.

This is the culture that underscores and produced Mahdia. This is the culture we have crafted.

The fire at Mahdia is a fire that we have been fuelling for decades. If our society was one that set and abided by sensible and civilised standards, then the chances of those innocent little ladies perishing and being injured in a building locked from the outside with no avenue of escape in the face of an emergency would have been slim to nil.
Praying for Mahdia
Praying for Mahdia
I saw one of the villagers protesting with a placard with words to the effect that ‘grills are for prisons.’ I honestly wondered whether that placard has been constructed and simultaneously consistently displayed after the erection of those grills and the barring of the exit whether Mahdia would have been avoided.
I do hope my people that I have offended us sufficiently for us to want to and for us to change our culture for the better.
Let us start by apologising to those kids for the fire that we have fuelled.