Relatives of victims of the MV Barima disaster renewed demands yesterday for the vessel to be raised during their eighth weekly protest outside the Office of the President, with one family describing financial hardship.
The picket, which included relatives, supporters and opposition politicians, also saw exchanges with police over drumming and the use of a loud hailer. Protesters continued chanting for the recovery of the wreck and accountability for the July 18 sinking.
“Float the boat, bring up the evidence,” they chanted, while calling for Ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar to go.
They also demanded the release of the three Transport and Harbours Department employees charged following the disaster and accused Edghill of misleading the nation.
In a live video of the protest, Dolly Cox and her sister, daughters of 74-year-old Kenneth Cox, who remains missing, spoke of the distress of losing their father without being able to recover his remains or hold a funeral. Kiskadee Watch previously reported that Kenneth Cox was travelling to Port Kaituma for work when the Barima sank.”
“He left, and never get to see him again, no funeral, nothing. It is real heartbreaking,” one of the sisters said.
They recalled a father who provided for his children and raised them with love. Recovering something of their loved one, they said, would help the family find closure.
The sisters also questioned what had become of promises of assistance.
“Why tell us that you are going to do something for us and then you are not doing it?” one asked.
According to their account, groceries had been delivered once, while a man they identified as Mr Shepherd provided $10,000 from his own pocket to help a younger sister attend school.
Their mother had not been a full-time worker and had been unwell, including suffering from high blood pressure, since their father’s death, they said.
The family could not access his bank funds because a death certificate was required, leaving younger siblings without that financial support, the sisters explained.
Jasmine Cort, whose father and uncle were aboard the Barima, repeatedly called through a loud hailer for the vessel to be recovered.
“You eyes pass the family, your eyes pass the survivors,” she said, apparently directing her remarks at President Irfaan Ali.
Kiskadee Watch previously identified her father and uncle as Neil Cort and Kenrick Cort respecteively, both of whom remained unaccounted for.
Police approached participants during the protest and spoke with a man beating a drum, after which he stopped. Cort, however, continued using the loud hailer.
“I would use this megaphone and if you want you can come and arrest me,” she declared.
She accused the authorities of harassing relatives whose loved ones had died aboard what she described as an unsafe vessel.
The drummer later resumed, encouraged by protesters who shouted, “Beat the drum, they will have to arrest everybody.” Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Leader and Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir joined him briefly in beating the drum as the chanting continued.
The drumming stopped again after former parliamentarian, Annettte Ferguson, spoke with police and returned to advise the drummer to follow the law, saying he did not want to get him into trouble. Other participants protested against that advice.
The call-and-response chants included demands for accountability “at the top” and criticism of the Commission of Inquiry, which protesters described as “a waste of time”.
The demonstrations come more than three months after the state-operated ferry sank while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Kiskadee Watch has reported that 73 lives were lost, with others still missing. Public evidentiary hearings before the five-member commission began on October 14.
BK International was awarded a $1.034 billion contract on October 6 to salvage the wreck off Devonshire Castle Flats, Essequibo Coast, on a “no cure, no pay” basis.
Kiskadee Watch reported on October 17 that the published National Procurement and Tender Administration Board award record did not specify a mobilisation or recovery deadline. The record also did not disclose the detailed contract conditions, approved salvage method or criteria for determining successful completion.
During earlier engagements with the commission, relatives questioned the contractor’s experience and sought a firm recovery date. Commissioners explained that awarding the contract and raising the vessel were outside their authority, while stressing that salvage must protect potential evidence.
Commissioner Dr Andrzej Jasionowski said preparations were being discussed with the salvage team. Fellow commissioner Nyree Dawn Alfonso cautioned that a poorly planned operation could damage the ageing vessel and destroy evidence needed by the inquiry.
The three men whose release protesters demanded are Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson. They face murder charges arising from the sinking. Kiskadee Watch recently reported that a magistrate rejected their application to halt proceedings and set November 16 for the start of paper committal proceedings.
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