-to be delivered to President today
A petition backed by 165 organisations and individuals and calling for the resignation of five public officials over the MV Barima disaster is to be delivered to President Irfaan Ali at the Office of the President today.
The petition also rejects the composition and manner of establishment of the government-appointed Commission of Inquiry (CoI) and demands an independent technical marine-safety investigation in accordance with international standards.
A statement issued by the organisers said a delegation representing eight civil society organisations and other citizens will deliver the Joint Civil Society Statement and Petition to the President at 2 pm.
The delegation is expected to include representatives of the Amerindian Peoples Association, the Guyana Trades Union Congress, the Guyanese Organisation of Indigenous Peoples, the Oil and Gas Governance Network, the Organisation for the Victory of the People, Red Thread, the Crossroads Women’s Centre, Transparency Institute Guyana Inc and the We The People youth movement.
According to the statement, the petition has attracted the support of 165 civil society organisations and individuals in Guyana, the Caribbean and the diaspora.
The signatories described the July 18 capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima as a “wholly preventable tragedy” and one of the worst maritime disasters to have occurred in Guyana and the Caribbean.
They said the disaster exposed serious failures in governance, oversight and accountability, as well as the abuse of state power, intimidation of dissent and the exclusion of civil society.
The petition calls for the immediater resignations of Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill; Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar; Director General of the Maritime Administration Department Stephen Thomas; General Manager of the Transport and Harbours Department Yolanda Hughes-Smith; and Chairperson of the T&HD Board Rosalinda Rasul.
The groups also rejected the CoI appointed by Ali, arguing that it was established without sufficient consultation with survivors, bereaved families, Indigenous leaders, civil society and opposition representatives.
They called for a representative and transparent inquiry consistent with Article 13 of the Constitution, which provides for an inclusionary form of democracy and public participation in decision-making processes.
Among other things, the petition says the hearings must be public, transparent and accessible and should provide Creolese and Indigenous-language interpretation where required.
It also calls for full access for the independent press, the appointment of an independent and trusted secretary to the commission and comprehensive testimony from survivors and eyewitnesses.
The groups want the inquiry to examine the search, rescue and recovery operations, the trauma counselling provided to survivors and bereaved relatives and the arrangements made for the burial of those who died.
They are also seeking details on the long-term support that will be provided to affected families, including the use of locally trained trauma counsellors.
The petition says the CoI’s findings and recommendations must be made public and widely disseminated in Guyana, the Caribbean and internationally.
The groups warned against what they described as a repetition of the failures and shortcomings of the 2023 CoI into the Mahdia Secondary School dormitory fire, which claimed the lives of 20 children.
They demanded meaningful consultation with Indigenous and riverain communities and sanctions against any public official found to have misled or obstructed the MV Barima inquiry.
Survivors and bereaved families, the petition said, should receive free, equal and independent legal representation. Decisions on the admission and handling of evidence should rest with the chairman of the commission and not with state agencies whose conduct may be under investigation.
The groups also warned that “national security” should not be invoked to shield public agencies or officials from scrutiny or to prevent evidence from being heard publicly.
Ali announced the five-member international commission on July 26. It is chaired by former Belizean appellate judge Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith.
The other commissioners are forensic naval architect Dr Andrzej Jasionowski; Jamaican master mariner Captain Hamada Fauda; Trinidad and Tobago attorney Nyree Dawn Alfonso; and retired Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard.
The commissioners were sworn in on July 30 and were given an initial two-month period to complete their work.
The civil society groups maintained that the CoI could not replace the independent technical investigation required after a serious marine casualty.
They called for a formal investigation under the International Maritime Organization’s Casualty Investigation Code, the IMO Model Regulations on Domestic Ferry Safety, the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and Part XVIII of Guyana’s Shipping Act.
Such an investigation would be expected to examine the technical, operational and regulatory factors which contributed to the disaster and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
The groups also condemned the decision by the Director of Public Prosecutions to charge the vessel’s captain, chief mate and goods superintendent with 73 counts of murder.
Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson were charged following the sinking.
The petition described the murder charges as premature and contended that the criminal proceedings could obstruct a full technical investigation and a coroner’s inquest. It called for the charges to be withdrawn immediately.
The petition also called on the Ali administration to cease what the groups described as attempts to criminalise individuals and civil society organisations for exercising their constitutional rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association.
The MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast near the mouth of the Pomeroon River on the night of July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Questions subsequently arose over the number of passengers aboard, the accuracy of the vessel’s manifest, alleged overloading, the loading and securing of cargo and the systems used by T&HD and MARAD to supervise the vessel’s departure.
Seventy-three passengers died and others remain unaccounted for. The disaster has left families in Region One and other parts of the country mourning relatives, while survivors have spoken about the difficulty of escaping the sinking vessel and remaining in the water while awaiting rescue.
The government has also invited expressions of interest from companies to salvage the wreck, but it has not publicly identified the companies which responded or announced which firms were shortlisted.
The civil society delegation said the petition represents a demand for justice for the victims and their families as well as systemic reforms intended to prevent a similar disaster.
Discussion