Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed yesterday rejected the GDF’s explanation as to why his boat was prevented from travelling to Moruca where President Irfaan Ali and a team were present.
The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) said the boat transporting Mohamed and two opposition MPs to the north west was turned back because its captain could not produce the required licences and inspection certificate.
Mohamed in a video yesterday morning alleged that the group was deliberately prevented from continuing its journey because it intended to stage a peaceful protest during the visit by Ali.
Yesterday afternoon he posted another video at the site of the GDF coast guard base charging that other boats were allowed to go and come as long as they gave the names of the occupants of the vessel. In his case he said that instructions had clearly been given to stop him from going to Moruca. He declared that President Ali did not relish a confrontation with him. Mohamed’s supporters gathered in Moruca yesterday and protested outside the President’s event.
Mohamed was travelling with MPs Tabitha Sarabo-Halley and Dawn Hastings-Williams when their boat was stopped at the Coast Guard’s Pomeroon Floating Base.
In a video posted on social media, early yesterday morning, Mohamed alleged that Coast Guard ranks had been instructed not to allow the boat to proceed to Moruca, where supporters were awaiting the opposition delegation.
In a statement issued later yesterday, the GDF confirmed that Coast Guard ranks at the floating base had conducted inspections of vessels transiting the Pomeroon River.
While it did not name Mohamed, it said a passenger vessel destined for Moruca was stopped and inspected in accordance with established procedures.
According to the GDF, operators are required to register their journeys with the floating base and present a valid Boat Master’s Licence, Vessel Licence and Certificate of Inspection before being permitted to continue.
“The vessel’s captain was unable to produce the required licences and certification,” the statement said.
As a result, the GDF said, the vessel was instructed to return to Charity to obtain the documents before resuming its voyage.
The statement did not identify the passengers aboard the boat or address Mohamed’s allegation that the action was politically directed. It also did not respond to his claim that other vessels had been allowed to pass after providing only the names of their passengers. Mohamed in a later video rejected the GDF’s explanation and from his vantage point on his boat he pointed to craft coming and going that only provided names of passengers and did not have to have documents scrutinized.
Mohamed had described the incident as evidence of “dictatorship” and alleged that the ranks told the group they were awaiting instructions from the officer in charge.
Sarabo-Halley said the parliamentarians had a constitutional right to protest and contended that preventing them from travelling amounted to a restriction of their freedom of movement.
She said that the government appeared fearful of the Opposition Leader and opposition MPs and said supporters in Moruca were expecting the delegation.
“To stop us from going to meet our people in Moruca at this stage, this is nothing more than dictatorship,” she said.
Hastings-Williams said she had travelled to Moruca by boat on several occasions and was familiar with the checks conducted at the floating base.
She said the customary procedure was for the boat to stop, provide the names of those aboard and then continue its journey. On this occasion, she said, the captain was summoned and subsequently told that the vessel had to turn back.
Hastings-Williams described the decision as undemocratic and maintained that Guyanese had a right to move freely throughout the country.
Mohamed said the opposition group was travelling to Moruca to join supporters in a peaceful protest demanding accountability for the MV Barima tragedy, which claimed scores of lives and left others missing.
The GDF said the inspections were intended to promote compliance with maritime regulations, improve vessel safety and strengthen security along the country’s waterways.
It also urged boat operators to ensure that their documents were valid and that passengers were provided with properly fitted life jackets throughout their journeys.
In the end Mohamed did not make the journey to Moruca and later returned to Charity.
Discussion