The six-foot tall, broad-shouldered People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Ali, at 27, is one of the youngest MPs in the Ninth Parliament.

The current Head of the CDB Project Implementation Unit at the Ministry of Finance obtained his Bachelors Degree (Hons) from the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom; Post Graduate Diploma in International Business from the All India Institute of Business in Chennai, India and a Masters Degree in Manpower Planning from the prestigious Institute of Applied Manpower and Research in New Delhi, India.

In addition, Ali holds several professional certificates in Project Management and Planning and is currently a candidate for the Project Management Professional Designation exams.

He is also a part-time Lecturer at the University of Guyana in the Masters and Post-Graduate Programme in the field of Planning for Development.

The new MP is currently the President of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Alumni Association of Guyana, an Executive member of the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) and Central Committee Member of the PPP.

“I feel very humbled and privileged by this selection and I certainly will do my utmost to ensure that democracy and the principles of my party, especially as it relates to equal opportunities and development for every Guyanese, are upheld,” Ali posited during a recent interview with the Sunday Chronicle.

Alluding to the address given by President Bharrat Jagdeo at the ceremonial opening of Parliament on September 28, in which he told Parliamentarians there can be no greater honour than to be called to the service of one’s country, Ali admitted that this privilege is magnified when elected to the nation’s highest deliberative and decision-making forum.

He said he has no problem in upholding and maintaining the high ideals and professionalism that comes with the status of being a Member of Parliament.

He has also pledged to uphold, as Member of Parliament, the spirit of self-discipline, tolerance of diverse opinion, the right to express one's views and other virtues of democratic living. He said that through the exchange of ideas, discussions and debates in the National Assembly, there can emerge other ideas and suggestions that would further the wellbeing of all Guyanese.

The young politician also believes that there needs to be a more concerted effort to overcome the political divisions in Guyana.

Ali, who hails from the community of Leonora, West Coast Demerara is an avid reader, especially on issues regarding developing countries, and he has a special interest in cricket, volleyball and table tennis.

Coming from a family with a very strong political background, Ali said the decision to join the slate of the PPPC at the last elections came naturally. In fact, Ali believes it was more of a natural indoctrination rather than a pointed “decision” he made, because for as long as he can remember, he has been, in one way or the other, affiliated with the PPP.

His parents were strong supporters of the party and from since childhood, he had been an avid supporter until he officially joined (membership) while still very young.

From the tender age of 15, Ali recalled being involved in the PYO and he has since functioned in various political portfolios of both the PYO and the PPP at the local, regional and central levels. Some of these functions include Group Chairman (Lenora), Finance Secretary of the PPP’s Regional Committee (Region Three), Education Secretary of the PYO and Central Committee member of the PPP.

The young politician also fondly recalled his grandmother being a long-standing member of the PPP and she was among the first women delegation to have visited China as a representative of the PPP.

The village he hails from also has a strong political history of struggle for the cause of freedom, independence and finally a democratic Guyana.

Of his party’s PPP/C elections campaign promises, Ali said: “We promised the nation that we will empower our young people and give them more opportunities and that was evident in the selection of our candidates for the Cabinet.”

“I am very thankful for the electorate for putting their confidence in the PPPC, to lay the foundations for us to be elected as members of the National Assembly. I also wish to thank my party for selecting me from a long list of very deserving candidates to come to the National Assembly,” he added.

Ali also assured that he will contribute in every way possible to achieving the Government’s central vision of fashioning an inclusive democracy in Guyana, one where the rule of law is paramount, where the rights of the people are respected and where all stakeholders feel involved, valued and respected.

Declaring that he is prepared to “walk the walk” on this journey to reach his “higher calling”, Ali feels optimistic that the experiences he gains along the way, good or bad, would certainly be unforgettable and would no doubt be to the service of Guyana. (Mark Ramotar)