Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) has welcomed the Commission of Inquiry’s first substantial update on its work but is pressing it to disclose who conducted its preliminary survey of the MV Barima disaster site, what technical expertise was used and whether the submerged wreck was examined.
In a statement on Friday, the party, which has one seat in Parliament, said the commission’s disclosure that it had carried out a “preliminary, in-person survey of the site of the accident” was too general for the public to assess the nature or value of the exercise.
“Who went? What did they do? What technical expertise did they take with them?” FGM asked.
The party, headed by Amanda Walton-Desir, called on the commission to identify the commissioners who attended, the technical personnel who accompanied them and the scope and method of the exercise.
It also questioned whether the exercise amounted only to a visit to the general area where the ferry sank or included an underwater or hydrographic examination of the wreck.
If the wreck was not examined, FGM said, the commission should state whether such an exercise is planned, the method to be employed and the expertise available to conduct it.
The party also wants to know whether a written, photographic or technical record was produced and what steps were taken to secure and preserve any evidence obtained.
FGM said disclosing those details would not require the commission to reveal evidence or prematurely publish findings but would allow the public to understand the investigative step it had announced.
The statement came one day after the commission said that it was working to begin public hearings later this month and invited survivors, relatives and other persons with relevant information to contact its secretariat.
The announcement followed criticism from FGM that 33 days had passed since the commissioners were sworn in without a hearing date, published rules of procedure, an invitation for witnesses or a substantial account of the investigative work completed.
The inquiry was formally constituted on July 30 and was originally given two months to complete its work, placing its reporting deadline at September 30 unless President Irfaan Ali grants an extension.
The commission said it had established a secretariat, secured the Arthur Chung Conference Centre for public hearings, begun gathering information from state agencies and started analysing documents concerning the vessel’s seaworthiness, sailing conditions and the conduct of the crew.
It has also compiled a list of potential witnesses, begun preparing an interview schedule and drafted rules of procedure. A website is being developed to serve as the public record of the inquiry.
FGM said the update was welcome and provided considerably more information than had been made available during the preceding 33 days. However, it argued that much of the work described remained preliminary or in progress.
The party also questioned the involvement of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), from which the commission said it was obtaining information.
FGM said MARAD’s regulatory performance could itself be examined by the inquiry and asked whether the agency had participated in the site visit or in collecting, handling or preserving physical evidence.
“If MARAD had any such role, the public is entitled to know the capacity in which it acted and what independent safeguards were employed to protect the integrity and chain of custody of the evidence,” it said.
The party also noted that the commission’s update did not address the salvage of the vessel, the preservation of the wreck as evidence or the recovery of persons who may remain in or around it.
While acknowledging that the commission might not be responsible for the salvage operation, FGM said the Government must answer those questions because they concern both the investigation and the dignity owed to the dead and their families.
The wreck remains submerged while the Government proceeds with the selection of a specialist salvage contractor. President Irfaan Ali recently said the shortlist had been completed and the selected companies were expected to submit financial proposals within a week. The Government has not named the companies that submitted expressions of interest or those shortlisted.
FGM also urged the commission to publish its rules of procedure so that survivors, relatives and other witnesses would know how evidence would be received and how the hearings would be conducted.
It called for the commission’s statement that hearings would begin later this month to be replaced by a firm date, a public schedule and an operational website.
The party maintained that the inquiry did not remove the President’s separate responsibility for the conduct of his ministers.
“The President cannot use that process as a constitutional waiting room in which ministerial responsibility is suspended until the Commission reports,” it said.
The five-member commission is chaired by former Belize Chief Justice Godfrey Phillip Smith. Its other members are forensic naval architect and marine engineer Dr Andrzej Jasionowski, Captain Hamada Fouda, Trinidad and Tobago attorney Nyree Dawn Alfonso and retired Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard.
The MV Barima capsized and sank off the Essequibo Coast on July 18 while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Seventy-three deaths have been confirmed, 76 people were rescued and others remain missing.
The vessel’s captain, chief mate and a Transport and Harbours Department goods superintendent have since been charged with 73 counts of murder.
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