Residents of Melanie Damishana and surrounding East Coast Demerara communities staged a protest last evening along the public road in support of MV Barima captain Kevin Price and other crew members charged with 73 murders over the July 18 ferry tragedy.
The protesters called for the release of Price and the other accused and demanded that Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar resign to allow for an impartial investigation.
Among the placards displayed by the small group were: “Free Kevin Price, Melanie stands with you”; “Murder? Why? And for what?”; “Bishop Juan Edghill must go now”; and “You will never find justice in a country where criminals make laws.”
Price, who is from Melanie Damishana, has been charged with 73 counts of murder. The protesters chanted slogans calling for the immediate resignations of Edghill and Indar, while arguing that the charges brought against the captain and crew members were extreme and had preceded a proper investigation.
They are also demanding that the wrecked ferry be salvaged, saying it could contain vital evidence needed for a comprehensive investigation into the tragedy.
In an interview with Kiskadee Watch, Price’s cousin, Shaquille Bristol, described the charges as overly severe. He contended that the vessel had been overloaded with government cargo and that Price had initially refused to operate it.
“He refuse to work the same boat. A call came from higher authority and said, well, the boat needs to go out,” Bristol recounted.
According to Bristol, that instruction resulted in Price and the crew undertaking the voyage despite problems with the ferry which he believes contributed to the disaster. He accused the authorities of unfairly placing the blame on his cousin.
The family, he said, wants a comprehensive investigation and the recovery of the vessel, which remains on the seabed and which they believe contains valuable evidence.
“Knowing how the injustice in this country actually set up, we don’t know what to expect. We are seeing some positive steps by the attorneys,” he said, while expressing hope that Price would receive justice.
Bristol also called for reforms in the state-run transportation sector, including the replacement of ageing vessels.
“What I think the government should do right now is get new vessels, new ferries to go into different areas,” he said.
He argued that the older ferries should be taken out of service.
Price previously served in the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard before joining the Transport and Harbours Department.
Bristol further criticised government ministers for seeking to distance themselves from responsibility despite the MV Barima being 87 years old.
“How I see it is that they take themselves out of this completely,” he said, describing their approach as “senseless and wicked.”
Price’s mother was among those participating in the protest. Overcome with emotion, she stood among the demonstrators but was unable to speak.
Another protester, who gave her name only as Sarah, told Kiskadee Watch that citizens needed to speak out or risk allowing injustice and the absence of accountability to become normal.
She urged other parents to support Price’s mother in her campaign for justice and her son’s release.
“It could happen to anybody, and we want justice. He is a father and a son. People should come out and support this mother as she seeks justice. I am here because I am a mother, and it could have been my child. This nonsense needs to stop. We need to stand up,” she said.
Chairman of the Buxton-Foulis Neighbourhood Democratic Council, Walston Martins, who led the protest, said the two-day action was successful despite the small turnout.
“For the two days that we had this demonstration, to me it was successful,” he said. “Though we were small in number, we had success in terms of unity and no disturbance.”
Martins said the demonstration had succeeded in taking the residents’ message to the wider public. He accused the government of deliberately seeking to deflect responsibility and stressed that the protest was peaceful and aimed at securing justice.
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