– it will support the rebuilding process following volcanic eruptions, President Ali said
Not Richard Bainie
WITH St. Vincent and the Grenadines that were severely affected by the La Soufrière Volcano eruptions and to a lesser extent Barbados, said President, Dr. Irfaan Ali said that Guyana remains a firm friend in their time of need.
The President gave the commitment during a ceremony to praise the third shipment of relief supplies loaded on the Lady Fazeela motor vessel (MV) at Muneshwer Wharf, Georgetown, on Monday.
“Guyana understands our responsibility to CARICOM, we understand our role at CARICOM and I want to assure Prime Minister Mottley and Prime Minister Gonsalves that not only are we with them in this immediate term, but that we are with them throughout the rebuilding process – not just the physical infrastructure, but rebuilding the lives that would have been affected, ”said President Ali.
The ship expected to depart today will first stop in Barbados which has been affected by an ash fall, before traveling to St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It is loaded with 275 tons of emergency supplies, which includes bottled water, water tanks, food supplies, and other necessities.
The President praised the coordinated efforts collected by Guyanese from all backgrounds and who have contributed to assisting with the liberation missions bound for the Caribbean islands, an effort that vividly displays the rewards of cooperation and cooperation.
“This really tells us how much we can achieve when we come together; government, government agencies, the private sector, with all of us working together there are no barriers that can prevent us from achieving what we set out to achieve, ”President Ali noted.
He urged, however, that it must not only be in times of need that cohesion should be stimulated, and he accused that the same spirit of co-operation displayed in times of catastrophe is embedded in Guyanese culture, which will inevitably catalyst in the Guyana building of the CARICOM region as a whole.
The President praised the Private Sector Commission (PSC), and claimed that he had repeatedly proven his ability to respond to challenges.
VERY PROUD
“This tells the story that organizational building in our local private sector is a strong commitment to their social responsibility and I think for that as a nation, for that as a government, we should be very, very proud,” he said.
He also praised the Prime Minister, the Civil Defense Commission (CDC), the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) and other contributors, including the ship owners who carried the relief supplies, for their support in the initiative, done in a selfless manner.
“This is what Guyana must be known for, the collection of people who are ready to serve at any time, ready to answer the call of humanity at any time, these are features of Guyana, we are ‘ we are loving people, we are caring people, we are sharing people, we are dedicated people, ”said President Ali.
“For this I am very proud, for this we can all be very pleased that, in the true spirit of Guyana, in the true spirit of being Guyanese, we are doing our part to help the member states of our Region as they do their bit helping us in our time of need, ”he added.
Last Saturday the first shipment of relief supplies from Guyana was welcomed by the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who arrived aboard the MV Miss Meena.
GOOD SAMARITAN
In thanking the Government of Guyana and the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali on the liberation, the Vincentian prime minister said, “I want to say that with this new bond of friendship, and this act of unity, one cannot help but remember in the Bible the story of the Good Samaritan. ”
Last Thursday, a 20-foot container full of cases of water was left on a Tropical Shipping ship that left Guyana destined for St. Vincent and the Grenadines with the intention of supplementing the emergency supplies.
Earlier on Monday the Guyana Chronicle caught up with one of the mission contributors, Palm Court Managing Director Navin Prashad, who donated 576 drinking water cases to the case on behalf of Palm Court, and he pledged the business’ commitment to providing support in the future.
“Our social responsibility is to assist in any way possible. I would like to commend the Government of Guyana and the business community for their unwavering support and solidarity towards our CARICOM brothers and sisters, ”he said.