Guyana Parliament hails late US terrorism convict, Abdul Kadir, for “dedicated service” as lawmaker

Last Updated on Saturday, 27 April 2019, 6:06 by Denis Chabrol

The National Assembly on Friday hailed the contributions of former People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) lawmaker, Abdul Kadir, who died in a US prison where he had been serving life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism.

Junior Minister of Agriculture, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, in paying tribute, credited Kadir with providing “dedicated service” to the Parliament from April 17, 2001 to May 2, 2006.

“The people of Linden and Guyana have lost a great man, a stalwart, a bold and courageous man so I ask this Parliament, this National Assembly that we direct an expression of its sympathy be conveyed to his sorrowing widow, children, grandchildren and relatives,” she told the House.

The Guyanese politician died on June 28, 2018 at the age of 56 and was buried in Guyana on July 12, 2018. Kadir, a chemical engineer, was also a former Mayor of Linden from 1994 to 1996, an engineer in the bauxite industry and the Guyana Water Inc and member of the bipartisan parliamentary Natural Resources Committee.

Born Michael Seaforth, he converted to Islam in 1974 and married Aisha Roberts with whom he fathered nine children.

Minister Patterson-Yearwood described Kadir as “technically competent” and fluent in English, Spanish, French and Arabic having visited several countries.

Government backbencher, Audwin Rutherford, said Kadir was a “family friend” who had been supportive of sports, all activities at Watooka Day School and Mackenzie Secondary School

“Linden, Guyana and the National Assembly is lesser for the passing of Mr. Kadir”,” said Rutherford.

No mention was made of Kadir’s conviction for terrorism, after a US court had found him and others guilty of plotting to blow up fuel tanks and pipelines at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Kadir was arrested in 2007 in Trinidad while he had been en route to Venezuela to collect a visa to travel to Iran for an Islamic conference. He was taken to New York where he was convicted in 2010.

Kareem Ibrahim and Russel DeFreitas were also convicted for similar offences.