GEORGETOWN, Guyana – President Irfaan Ali has described the former president of Suriname, Chandrikapersad Santokhi, who died on Monday as a “friend” saying also that he was a “brother forged not by blood but by conviction”.
President Irfaan Ali (left) and former Suriname president, Chan Santokhi (File Photo)“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.”
Santokhi 67, died at the Academic Hospital in the capital where he had been taken after falling ill at home. He held the presidency during the 2020–2025 term and previously served the country as Minister of Justice and Police from 2005 to 2010. The cause of his illness or death has not been released as yet.
Ali said that Santokhi a “voice of wisdom has fallen silent” extending condolences to the family of the former head of state.
“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.”
Ali said that 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. “
Ali said that 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.”
He said Santokhi had served Suriname “with dedication and conviction,” adding “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.”
