Sympathy on the Death of Dr. Moti Lall

Hits: 3127 | Published Date: 14 Jun, 2012

| Speech delivered at: 22nd Sitting- Tenth Parliament

| Speech Delivered by : Hon. Mohamed I. Alli, MP

Minister of Housing and Water [Mr. Ali]: I rise to support this motion that gives recognition to an outstanding soul, an outstanding Guyanese, one who would have contributed tremendously to the development and advancement of Guyana.
Honesty, integrity, committed, nationalist, servant of humanity, extraordinary and rare and priceless can be less than adequate as a summation of Dr. Moti Lall. Gentle and kind, reliable and approachable, he was a people’s man - strong in character, full of ideas and re-energised with every new challenge or, more so, perception of any challenge. His life’s work can be classified in different compartments. Dr. Moti Lall, the politician, the doctor, technician, the social worker, activist and humanitarian, all fused together under one common motto – service to humanity. He was a bare-footed and weaponless soldier, winning over every battle with the goodness of his heart and virtues of his work. He was a thinker, strategist and moralist, a leader, motivator and teacher. Remembering Dr. Moti Lall is giving recognition to an outstanding soul, an asset of Guyana. Even as we celebrate his life, the benefits of his work continue to help many Guyanese. It is written in the Holy Koran that perhaps one of the greatest contributions any human being can give to the world is that of the service of a teacher. Dr. Moti Lall had given tremendous service in moulding and cultivating the minds of many young Guyanese.
As I stand here, I am proud to stay that my own political career started with tremendous engagement with Dr. Moti Lall. In 1994, when the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) was preparing for its congress, regional secretariats were set up and Dr. Moti Lall was in charge of Region 3. We had tremendous debates. He was always very current in his thinking – very current in his thinking. For a matter of fact, on every occasion he would have stood up and spoken, not on medicine, but he would have spoken about the international situation - the world situation. He was always engrossed in learning, in reading and in understanding what was happening around him. So much so, that when I, myself, went to study in India and came back, at every meeting he would have called upon me to give the comrades an update as to what was happening in Asia; that forced me to read every single piece of news that came out of Asia so that I, myself, would have remained current.
I remember too, as a very young person, that in 1997 it was Dr. Moti Lall who motivated me to contest to become a regional committee member of the PPP for Region 3. I was elected on that regional committee, and I can recall his constant guidance and motivation. He led me throughout the process. He was accommodating; he was open to change; he was open to understanding issues of replenishment and he was a man who believed strongly in development and advancement of young people. For that, I, as an individual, as a young politician, owe him a debt of gratitude.
Dr. Moti Lall played the key role in the housing sector, a dynamic role - a role that laid the foundation, a role that opened up opportunities, a role that paved the way for the development that the housing sector is undergoing now. In 1992, he became the Chairman of the CH&PA Board until his untimely passing in January, 2012. This alone showed the trust that the Government and his colleagues had in him, in keeping him in the leadership of this very important Board. It must not be forgotten that Dr. Moti Lall assumed the chairmanship of the CH&PA Board under an important era in the history of our country. It was an era of transition and it required special skills. It required good interpersonal skills, good human resource management skills, to oversee the smooth transition of that period. Dr. Moti Lall, no doubt, provided those skills to the CH&PA. He provided that level of leadership to the Ministry of Housing and the CH&PA. His colleagues on that Board recalled his constant call for dialogue, his constant call for modernisation, organisational change and organisational culture shift - all aimed at improving efficiency and advancing a more reliable product to the Guyanese people. His colleagues recalled that he was a man practical in nature, full of ideas, full of new vision, but very practical about those ideas and vision - practicality, understanding the context in which those ideas and vision were framed.
Dr. Moti Lall contribution to the housing sector had been tremendous. I would say it had been revolutionary. It was with great regret that we learn of his passing, but his service and the work that he would have left behind, the results of his labour, would be everlasting. The results of his labour would be one that will continue to bring benefit to Guyana and Guyanese.
To his family, his loving wife and children and Dr. Moti Lall’s family expands far beyond that because he treated every human being as a member of his family, he had a personal touch for everyone he came across. Let us find comfort in the fact that this legend had lived a life that was open transparency and filled with service to humanity.
Thank you. [Applause]