-concerned about future of mom, siblings
Dolly Cox, whose father remains missing following the MV Barima sinking, is unhappy with the progress of the government’s Hope, Empathy, Aid, Resilience, and Trust (HEART) relief initiative and she is concerned about the future of her mother and siblings.
Furthermore, she said that a HEART Initiative coordinator told her, “Let’s hope it doesn’t impact anything that they have planned for her,” after she expressed concern that her participation in protests could affect assistance for her mother.
Speaking with Kiskadee Watch, Cox said the exchange occurred after the official saw her taking part in demonstrations demanding answers and accountability following the July 18 tragedy.
According to Cox, the official contacted her about her participation, prompting her to explain that protesting was her own decision and that her mother had not asked her to do so.
“I don’t want me protesting to, you know, affect anything that [they] have planned for my mother … because she did not ask me to do this,” Cox said, recounting what she told him.
She said that the official then responded: “Let’s hope it doesn’t impact anything that they have planned for her.”
Cox said she challenged the remark, maintaining that her decision to protest should have no bearing on support for her mother.
“My response to that was it shouldn’t. If anything else, y’all should understand my reasoning,” she said.
Cox further said that during their exchange, the official expressed concern that her participation in protests made it appear that he was not doing his job through the HEART Initiative.
Her father, Kenneth Cox, 74, was aboard the MV Barima when it sank while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. According to his daughter, his body has still not been recovered.
Cox said the loss has left her family facing financial hardship, with her unemployed and unwell mother caring for school-age children.
“It’s not like she could just go out and get a regular job because she’s also sickly,” she said.
Financially free
According to Cox, her father operated an outboard-engine workshop in Port Kaituma and was constructing houses there which the family intended to rent out to provide income for her mother.
“We just wanted her to be financially free,” she said.
Cox said that President Irfaan Ali personally promised to assist with completing the houses during a conversation with her at Charity.
“He promised that he’s going to build them so my mother could get the income,” she said.
She said the official, who heads the HEART Initiative’s coordinating secretariat, subsequently visited the properties in Port Kaituma, saw the unfinished houses and was informed of the family’s needs.
However, Cox said that when she followed up, she was told that an undertaking did not necessarily mean the work would happen.
“So basically, you take me for a fool,” she said, describing her reaction.
Cox said it was frustration over what she described as unfulfilled promises that drove her to protest.
“At first I did give them a chance to do whatever they promised my mother. And that is why I started protesting, because I gave them a chance,” she said.
“I gave them a fair enough chance, but they don’t care.”
She believes arrangements to support her mother and younger siblings have taken too long.
“It should not take almost three months to put a system in place so my mother could get support financially for the kids that she has in school,” Cox said.
The HEART Initiative was established to coordinate assistance for people affected by the sinking. In an August 24 statement, the initiative said it had coordinated support for more than 750 affected people, with its work covering housing, education, material assistance, legal services and psychosocial support.
At the time of the interview, Cox acknowledged that the official. had told her vouchers would be provided to her mother the following day.
She understood these to be connected to public assistance, possibly covering a six-month period, but did not confirm the programme or amount.
Cox questioned whether that assistance would adequately meet the household’s continuing needs, saying she wanted a dependable source of income for her mother.
“These are growing children. They go to school and all of these things,” she said.
She also questioned why, in her view, protesting had been necessary before further assistance was arranged.
“Why is it that people have to get angry?” she asked. “People have to do all of these nonsense before anything goes into place.”
Beyond the family’s financial concerns, Cox complained about inadequate communication regarding the Commission of Inquiry and efforts to recover the vessel.
She said a statement was taken from her during the first week after the sinking, but she had not subsequently been approached for an additional statement.
According to Cox, Jasmine Cort, whose dad Neil Cort and Uncle Kenrick Cort, submitted material on her behalf in connection with a request to testify before the inquiry. At the time of the interview, Cox said she had not been informed of a response.
She also said her family learned through social media of a reported death associated with efforts involving the wreck, rather than through direct communication from the authorities.
For Cox, the uncertainty surrounding recovery efforts compounds the pain of still being unable to recover her father’s remains.
“No, he’s still missing. He’s still among the missing,” she said.
Cox also alleged that police handled her and other demonstrators roughly during the recent protest at the Kingston seawall.
“They came and they held on to us and dragged us away,” she said.
She said restrictions on demonstrations, including objections to microphone use, had added to her frustration as relatives continued seeking answers and the recovery of their loved ones.
Cox maintained that her involvement was driven by her family’s loss rather than party politics.
“I’m not into politics. I don’t like it. I don’t even care who is in power as long as my family are good,” she said.
“Had my father still been alive a day like today, I would have never get tied up with this whole politics and all of these things.”
“But when it comes to my father, that is something that I would risk.”
The MV Barima, owned and operated by the Transport and Harbours Department, sank on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. A Commission of Inquiry was established to investigate the disaster, with substantive hearings beginning in October.
During the inquiry, MARAD Emergency Operations Coordinator Captain John Flores testified that a survey located the wreck on July 20, lying on its starboard side about nine miles offshore in approximately 33 feet of water.
Cox said she intends to continue speaking out for her father and her family.
“I do not care if they don’t like me,” she said.
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