DISBELIEF was the first reaction of many when, on December 16, word spread that Lisa Morris-Julian had died in a fire. Surely, many felt, such a thing could not be. How could a sitting MP, a minister in the Ministry of Education, a mother and a wife die so soon, and in such a manner?
Worse, and adding to the shock, were the agonising details that emerged suggesting several family members had died alongside Ms Morris-Julian, while others were hospitalised. The family home was gutted, an entire community plunged into mourning.
All this just days before Christmas.
While we await the findings of official police and fire investigations – investigations that require thoroughness given the scale of this horrific tragedy – we join the national community in expressing deep sorrow at this loss.
This horrendous incident is a reminder of the unpredictability of life. And its shortness.
According to initial police reports, the blaze broke out at Farfan Street, Arima, just around dawn. All it took was a moment, perhaps mere minutes, for that blaze to destroy several lives.
The fact-finding must be swift.
If there is any consolation to be had in this inconsolable moment, it is the fact that such calamity also serves as a demonstration that more things unite us as a country than divide us.
Both PNM and UNC politicians expressed grief – some heart-wrenchingly so – and paid glowing tribute to Ms Morris-Julian.
Even Barbados PM Mia Mottley and UN officials sent prayers and condolences, as did THA officials.
The sense of loss is intensified because a promising and influential career has been cut short.
Ms Morris-Julian entered Parliament in the last general election, but before that she served as the Mayor of Arima between 2013-2020.
Hers was a lineage steeped in politics. Her grandfather was also a mayor, a grandmother and great-uncle were also in government. Earlier this year, her father, Raymond, died, and she delivered a moving eulogy.
The PNM on December 2 announced her selection to contest the D’Abadie/O’Meara seat, which will be renamed Malabar/Mausica in the next election. The party, in addition to nursing grief, has been left with the unenviable task of finding a replacement.
The MP’s absence will immediately affect the House, slightly shifting the balance of power. The minister served on about a dozen committees, including those overseeing foreign affairs and human rights.
In her very last appearance in the chamber, on December 9, Ms Morris-Julian twice cried “Aye” to support Tobago autonomy legislation.
But her final substantive contribution was during the budget debate, on October 7, when the last thing she said was, “Let us put country first.”
May she and the victims of this tragedy rest in peace.
Lisa Morris-Julian
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