OPINION: Irfaan Ali: fashion leader for every occasion

Last Updated on Monday, 23 March 2026, 22:01 by Writer

By GHK Lall

Dr. Irfaan Ali is edging into the realm of a national, maybe even regional, leader of a special kind. Ahead of and above the crowd. Now that’s a figure of his time and beyond his years. A man of that calibre should be toasted for his mastery of the moment, for taking such moments and converting them into the spectacular that would make Cecil B. DeMille or Hrishikesh Mukerjee green with envy. Eid, March 2026 stands as incontestable testimony.

In a sea of Guyanese Ramadan observers, local Eid celebrants, there was a treat. From the desert sands, the distant east (well, the middle to honor people and geography), there came a flash of epic proportions. Mohamed Irfaan Ali (Dr.) rode into town. Talk about sartorial splendor. Awe-inspiring, mouth dropping, in the resplendence of his attire. Only a camel was missing. Perhaps, it was tethered somewhere out of sight. One of those newfangled motorised miracles that move like a dream from zero to hundred before the next blink of the eye. Say whatever pleases. But I say that it was perfect for that Eid moment now forever etched in time. Excellency Ali has it down to an art form on how to make an entrance. No oil sheik can hold a candle to this son of Guyana’s soil, this modern wonder of a national fashion leader. There he was, from thobe to ghutra and agal on blinding display. And those were only the beginning. Take a round, Dr. President. I am more than suitably impressed. Simply blown away.

Poor citizens like me need, cherish these rare instances of relief; what induces floating on a cloud of forgetfulness. The good thing is that it is all natural. Neither intoxicating liquids nor haze-prompting substances necessary. When a man has got it, he has it. Whoever dares to say a scintilla of a syllable in objection will have to go through me. Thank you, Mr. President for that majestic rustle of muslin, that instance now indelibly imprinted in immortality. It may have been from the finest Lancashire cotton, or Bengal fabric, if either of the two somehow survived. Then again, because Irfaan Ali is a leader who sets an example, it could have been synthetic polyester. Whatever the cloth was, it doesn’t matter, was out of this world.

What matters is that Guyana’s chief trendsetter is now the master of fashion. Why be meagre with the accolades, the king of fashion. From political royalty to fashion royalty, to the King of Sizzle. I always said that Irfaan Ali is someone who sets his own standards, what sets him apart from mere mortals, some tribal denizen plying torrid shifting sands. No plodder is he. Dr. Ali has his own special standards (education), with helpful entourage in reserve. Seeking truths, finding truths, then sharing those truths. His version of them. In their purest form, of course. Having set the standard, the man from Leonora who is now a one-man hit show from Calcutta to Jeddah and, not to forget, Florida, has no choice but to maintain those immaculate standards.

Indian Arrival Day is on the Guyana calendar. A breeze that one should be. What will it be, what customized extravaganza, on that auspicious occasion? Ghutra or kurta. I recommend either Sherwani or Jodhpuri. Perhaps, he may manage a fusion of all four, then add some more to floor his usual crowd of onlookers. Arrival Day should be a piece of cake for Pres. Ali. But a challenge looms further along the calendar. One that will push him to swallow hard, take a deep breath. Have nearby a pack of Rolaids antacids, as he works to pull out all the stops, and give it his all. There is August. It means that Emancipation Day is in the making and Mohamed Irfaan Ali, national leader, leader of all the Guyanese people, and statement leader, will have to be at his best. What will it be, Mr. President? What can Guyanese expect? Particularly those who have absorbed, made notes, about the president’s love for momentous clothing, and his fascination with being seen as a fashion plate. For some reason, I think that a collection plate had better be passed around from now, so that Ali the Magnificent is outfitted in a stupendous dashiki that will be remembered with fondness down through the ages. He did say that he is the founder of One Guyana. So, there it is.