‘The people of Guyana deserve answers’: President repeats pledge of full inquiry into MV Barima disaster amid protests

“The people of Guyana deserve answers. Families deserve answers. History demands answers.”

President Irfaan Ali on Monday repeated his pledge that an independent international Commission of Inquiry would establish what caused the MV Barima disaster, determine whether negligence or institutional failures contributed to it, and recommend reforms to prevent a similar tragedy, as opposition lawmakers repeatedly pounded their desks while Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Mohabir Anil Nandlall read the President’s message to the National Assembly.

“I…assure this Honourable House and the nation that the Government will leave no stone unturned in determining the full circumstances that gave rise to this catastrophe,” the President said. “This will be done not only to answer the many questions weighing heavily on the minds and hearts of our people, but also to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated.”

The protest inside Parliament followed demonstrations outside the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, where protesters called for the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and former Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar over the sinking of the passenger and cargo vessel that served the Georgetown/North West route.

Despite the interruptions, Nandlall completed the reading of the President’s statement, in which President Ali said the government’s immediate priority had been the search, rescue and recovery effort, but that the country was now owed a full account of what happened.

President Ali said the Commission of Inquiry, announced on Sunday, would comprise international experts in maritime safety, accident investigation and disaster management.

The five-member panel will be chaired by Belizean jurist Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith and includes Polish naval architect Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, Jamaican maritime surveyor Captain Hamada Fouda, Trinidad and Tobago maritime attorney Nyree Dawn Alfonso and retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard of Trinidad and Tobago.

The commission has been tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the sinking, including the vessel’s loading, passenger boarding procedures, seaworthiness, the conduct of the captain and crew, compliance with maritime regulations, and the search, rescue and recovery operation. It will also recommend legislative, regulatory and operational reforms to improve maritime safety.

“The truth must be established. The lessons must be learned. The reforms must be implemented. And where failures, negligence or wrongdoing are identified, accountability must follow,” Ali said.

The MV Barima capsized and sank off Guyana’s coast on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to the North West District, leaving dozens dead and prompting widespread calls for accountability over one of Guyana’s worst maritime disasters.