Mahdia deadly fire: CoI members visiting tragedy site today, public hearings begin in September 

The members of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire are visiting communities of Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) today to get a first-hand feel of the terrain and a better understanding of the lives of the people most severely affected by the tragedy.
Two weeks ago, Major General Joseph Singh, Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John, and Attorney Dr Kim Kyte-Thomas were sworn in as members of the CoI.

As per the Terms of Reference (ToR), the Commission is expected to inquire into the events and circumstances leading up to the fire; inquire into the responses after the fire; and offer recommendations to prevent its recurrence.
The CoI’s Secretary, Javed Shadick, on Tuesday during a press briefing disclosed the team members’ plan to visit Mahdia, Campbelltown, Karisparu, Chenapau and Micobie in Region Eight.
“The visit is mostly for the Commissioners to have an understanding of the area. There would be a site visit to Mahdia, where the tragedy would’ve taken place [and] a visit to some of the connecting communities,” Shadick said.
“We’re leaving very early – 06:30h – and we’ll be going with the helicopter and flying into these communities and coming back out in the afternoon. Our ground time is not more than maybe half an hour per area,” Shadick further explained.
During this one-day trip, the Commissioners are not questioning any community members but only familiarising themselves with the areas prior to the hearings.

Public hearings
The public hearings are intended to begin by September. In these two weeks leading up to the hearings, Shadick explained that work is being done to develop a list of persons being called to speak before the Commission.
He noted that a public appeal has already been published, opening up the opportunity for members of the public to present themselves to the Commissioners, with their relevance to be determined.
“[Members of the public] can call us, they give us their names, and how we can meet with them. The Council for the Commission will have a meeting. They will [see] whether or not it’s relevant towards the Terms of Reference and how to go forward,” Shadick said.
“The other aspect of it – we have the opening where anyone can come. We also know some of the players, in the Ministries and so on, so we will write to those persons asking for information and from that, we will be able to start developing our list of what we’ll be doing,” Shadick said.
The location of the hearings remains a logistical issue to be resolved and Shadick acknowledged not only the difficulty of travelling from the Region Eight communities but also the comfort level that community members may have in their own villages.
Furthermore, he noted the Commission will be working with Ovid Williams of the Patamona tribe, who is well versed in all nine Amerindian languages, to communicate with community members as needed.

Sensitive nature
Meanwhile, the CoI’s Secretary also noted that given the sensitive nature of this case and the number of children who may be called upon to speak, the Commission is also developing a framework that ensures their rights are protected.
“Some of the persons we’ll be speaking to are children and in circumstances such as these, we’re very protective of the rights of children. As we move forward, we will try our best to ensure their rights are protected,” Shadick said.
“Even though it’s in the public interest and the public has a right to know, there are safeguards against what can and cannot be done,” he added.
He noted that the Commission aims to work as impartially as possible, with the majority of the work to be done “from scratch.” As such, it has not yet been determined if the teen who was priorly remanded to the Juvenile Centre for her alleged involvement will be brought before the Commission.
On May 21, a fire that engulfed the Mahdia Secondary School’s female dormitory claimed the lives of 19 female students and one five-year-old boy.
A fifteen-year-old student was later charged with 20 counts of murder for her alleged involvement in the fire.
Initial reports indicated that this student had her cell phone confiscated, and was previously suspended for engaging in activities contrary to the rules of the institution, after which she allegedly threatened to cause “trouble” during an argument with the administrators.
The CoI members were sworn in on Aug 10 and given two months to deliver their findings on this case, though during the swearing-in ceremony, President Dr Irfaan Ali had clarified that if the Commission required more time, it would be granted. (G13)