Calls for the release of the three MV Barima crew members charged with murder intensified on Friday evening as protesters gathered once again at Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara, demanding that the vessel be salvaged and senior government ministers held accountable for the tragedy.
Supporters chanted, “Who must go? Edghill and Indar,” “Free the innocent,” and “Float the boat, bring out the evidence,” as Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, members of the We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) party, and other supporters joined the protest.
The latest demonstration came days after Captain Kevin Price, Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson and Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts were remanded to prison on dozens of counts of murder in connection with the July 18 sinking of the state-owned MV Barima, which claimed 73 lives.
Addressing the gathering, WIN representative Hana Mohamed said the demonstration was being held to demand the immediate release of the three crew members, the raising of the sunken vessel and the arrest of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar.
Former Georgetown Mayor Ubraj Narine accused the government of failing to hold ministers accountable for the tragedy. Narine called on Ali to take action. “We need the boat to come up so the evidence can be there for the Commission of Inquiry. We have the money to bring it up.”
WIN Member of Parliament (MP) Vishnu Panday argued that the government’s handling of the disaster lacked national consultation. “If it is a national situation, it requires a national approach. All the people must be involved,” Panday said. “Ali was supposed to involve the Opposition Leader in every discussion. That is not a suggestion, that is by law.”
Other WIN MP Duarte Hetsberger questioned the decision to charge the three crew members before the Commission of Inquiry begins its work. He said that the murder charges effectively undermine the inquiry because the accused crew members may be unable to freely provide evidence or testimony relating to the tragedy.
Meanwhile, there was a heavy police presence outside Minister Deodat Indar’s residence, where barriers had been erected. Protest organisers alleged that the barricades had been placed in anticipation of demonstrations and claimed they were causing inconvenience to residents. They also alleged that police had been deployed to properties belonging to both Ministers Juan Edghill and Indar.
Friday’s protest follows demonstrations held on July 29 at Den Amstel and Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara, where relatives, friends and supporters of the three crew members insisted the men were being made scapegoats for years of systemic neglect in the management of the Transport and Harbours Department.
At those protests, demonstrators carried placards reading “Free the Crew,” “Justice for Delon,” and “Hold the Ministers Accountable,” while family members maintained that Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson had repeatedly warned his superiors that the vessel was unfit for service.
Granderson’s relatives said he had submitted written reports highlighting defects aboard the MV Barima but that those concerns were ignored. They argued it was unfair for the crew alone to face criminal charges over what they described as long-standing operational and maintenance failures.
The MV Barima sank on July 18 while en route to Port Kaituma. A Commission of Inquiry has been established to investigate the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
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