From a young age, Irfaan Ali, Guyana’s 9th Executive President had dreamt of becoming the president one day, a dream which was always supported by his parents.
When he was sworn in as president two Sundays ago, his parents beamed with joy having witnessed his dreams become a reality, but true to character, remained humble as they sat in a corner of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre after the official ceremony.
With many events unfolding over the last five months, his parents Bibi Shariman and Mohamed Osman Ali said while they remained optimistic the day would eventually arrive, there were some doubts as a possible previous declaration was met with a stumbling block.
“It feels so surreal because this process was such a long process you know and every time you think something will happen, then something crops up so it is kind of surreal. It’s a proud but humbling moment for us. It is very surreal,” Ali’s mother said in reaction to the conclusion of the post-electoral impasse.
For his father, he was simply enjoying his Sunday leisure at their Leonora home when he received the message that a declaration had been made and the swearing in ceremony was being held in a few hours.
“This is something that had me stunned when until it came to reality. I was home relaxing so when he told me to get ready for the swearing-in I was stunned,” the elder Ali said.
His parents believe that given their son’s humble beginnings and work ethic he will be able to transform the country and provide the quality leadership needed to take the nation forward for the benefit of every citizen.
“You can expect that he will work very hard. I know him and he puts a lot of energy into his work. He likes to get things done quickly. You will see inclusive Government and I believe he will keep that promise and he will make sure that all Guyanese feel that they’ve won this election,” declared Ali’s mother, who was still in a state of disbelief as she spoke with reporters.
Endorsing that viewpoint, his father said “Believe that when he promises to be President for the people, he will hold [to] that. I know him, he is very, very genuine when it comes to that. He loves the people, he loves this country, it is the very core of him and I know my son more than anybody else.”
“We are really, really, really proud and it is humbling. That is why I said emotions are mixed because when I look at his childhood, look back at everything else, it makes me believe that whatever you feel you can achieve you can because from a little boy he was saying that he would be President,” his mother added when asked how she felt knowing that her son had ascended to the highest office of the land.
They said when he entered the arena of politics they had their reservations but pushed themselves to support his goals and dreams.
“It was very hard at times because when your son is in politics, and he was the one who is always in the forefront, as parents you worry sometimes but we never discouraged him…” his mother noted, before adding, “As parents, we always tried to support him and we never let him feel that you can’t be that or it’s too much for you. Even when he joined the PYO (Progressive Youth Organisation) we were very supportive.”She recalled that it was during his teenage years that he cast his dream of becoming a president but noted that he never allowed the dream to cloud his past and lessons learnt from his upbringing.
The proud mother referred to him as a humanitarian at heart who hates to see the less fortunate begging.
“He is the type of person who would take whatever he has in the car or even when he is leaving the restaurant and they [beggars] ask him for something, he would take it and give them. He is like that, he is loving and caring and always looking out for people,” his mother said.
On Sunday, Ali’s swearing in at around 4.20 pm at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Liliendaal was the culmination of months of stalemate that saw an exhaustive recount of ballots overseen by CARICOM and a flurry of legal actions that went all the way to the nation’s apex court, the Caribbean Court of Justice.
The events leading up the his swearing-in-ceremony were fast paced from the moment Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield finally submitted the results of the recount showing a PPP/C victory, to GECOM Chair Claudette Singh, who then declared Ali the new President and advised the Chancellor of the Judiciary to prepare for the swearing in.
“There is a lot of work to be done and this work will start instantaneously,” he said in his inaugural speech after being sworn in.
“I was always confident. The events [of these five months] have strengthened my resolve and commitment to ensuring that there is always democracy, good governance and the rule of law and the changes required to ensure we are never in a position like this again. That must be addressed,” he added.
“Today [Sunday] is about celebrating democracy. I cannot leave this podium without thanking our international partners, our regional partners and all the political parties and members of the Guyanese community who committed themselves for service to country. I assure you that Guyana is better because of your efforts. Today I take the oath of office because of the hard work of many individuals,” he underscored.
