President Dr. Irfaan Ali has expressed deep sorrow at the passing of former Suriname President Chandrikapersad Santokhi, describing him as a trusted friend, a regional partner, and a statesman of quiet strength.
Read the full statement issued by President Ali below:
It is with a heavy heart that I have received the news of the passing of Hon. Chandrikapersad Santokhi, former President of the Republic of Suriname. A voice of wisdom has fallen silent. A friend has left us.
On behalf of the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, and on my own behalf, I offer our deepest condolences to the Government and people of Suriname, and to the family of the late former President.
Former President Santokhi was a brother forged not by blood but by conviction, not by birth but by the shared calling of service. During his tenure as President, we walked a path together— leaders who understood that the destiny of our nations is woven from the same cloth.
We were brothers in regionalism, standing shoulder to shoulder in the councils of CARICOM, labouring in the vineyards of unity when the harvest seemed distant and the work was hard. We were friends in the advancement of our shared global interests, raising our voices together on matters of principle. And in the quiet spaces between formal engagements, we were simply two men who had come to trust one another and to understand one another.
Under his steady guidance, the relationship between Guyana and Suriname blossomed. He understood, as I do, that the river which divides us also connects us, that our histories are intertwined, and that the prosperity of one cannot be separated from the prosperity of the other.
The region has lost a fine statesman, one who carried the mantle of leadership with grace and humility. Guyana has lost a friend, one who gave of himself freely and without pretence. I have lost a friend,someone whose presence in this world made the burdens of leadership lighter and the triumphs sweeter.
To the Government and people of Suriname, I say that your former President was a man of quiet strength . He served you with dedication and conviction. May his memory be a blessing that sustains you in the days ahead.
To his family, I extend my most heartfelt condolences. May you find solace in the legacy he leaves behind. And may the love that surrounded him in life be a comfort to you in this hour of loss.
The sun sets now on a life well lived. But for those of us who were privileged to walk alongside him, the light of his example, his friendship, and his brotherhood will not fade. It will remain, a quiet glow in the memory, a gentle warmth in the heart.
May he rest in eternal peace.
