Al-Rawi: Lisa Morris-Julian loved people

RURAL Development and Local Government Minister Faris Al-Rawi says he will always remember his parliamentary colleague Lisa Morris-Julian as someone who loved people and did all she could to help them.

He made these comments during a function at his San Fernando West constituency office on December 20 to distribute keys to people under the Housing and Village Improvement Programme (HVIP) which falls under the Land Settlement Agency (LSA).

Morris-Julian and two of her children – Jesiah, six and Xianne, 25 – died in a fire at their home on Farfan Street, Arima on December 16.

She was a minister in the Ministry of Education and D'Abadie/O'Meara MP.

Al-Rawi told his audience, "I lost one of my colleagues. A most beautiful human being. Lisa Morris-Julian."

He added, "She loved people."

Al-Rawi said there were many examples of that he could testify too.

"There wasn't a phone call she wouldn't answer."

As San Fernando West MP, Al-Rawi recalled making many requests to Morris-Julian to help constituents and their children with respect to education matters.

"She instantly answered them as her colleague (Education) Minister (Dr Nayan) Gadsby-Dolly does."

Al-Rawi said Morris-Julian's death "causes us to reflect upon what family means and what community means."

He pledged to continue to work assiduously as an MP to build families and communities in the constituency.

Before the function began, Al-Rawi interacted with some HVIP recipients who came from the Marabella Train Line.

He was pleased when one man spoke about drinking coffee with Al-Rawi's grandfather former parliamentarian Lionel Seukeran.

Al-Rawi told the man he was happy to know this and know he could serve him now.

On December 18, Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Dr Amery Browne said Morris-Julian, Jesiah and Xianne would be given a state-assisted funeral.

Browne said his ministry was working out the details with Morris-Julian's family.