Kako Toshao Romario Hastings has said that politics lies at the heart of the circumstances surrounding the MV Barima tragedy and he has accused Indigenous leaders, including himself, of failing the people of Region One by allowing their collective voice to be weakened.
In a statement posted on his Facebook page, Khoplan, Hastings said he had taken time before commenting publicly because the disaster was more complex than it initially appeared. He also called for Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill to resign.
“There is so much I have wanted to say that no single post could ever do justice to what I have been thinking and feeling over the past few days,” he wrote, adding that deeper reflection revealed “a web of decisions, institutions, priorities and relationships” behind both the tragedy and the country’s response to it.
“My Indigenous brothers and sisters, we have failed you,” Hastings said.
He explained that he was referring not only to Toshaos but to everyone entrusted with representing and advocating for Indigenous communities.
“We have become so consumed by the politics of the day that our collective voice has grown weaker, our unity more fragile, and our ability to demand better increasingly compromised,” he wrote.
According to Hastings, political decisions influenced appointments to agencies and ministries responsible for the ferry service, determined who was entrusted with delivering those services in Region One, affected the allocation of resources and contributed to delays in addressing longstanding concerns.
“Politics shaped the conditions before this tragedy. Now politics is shaping what happens afterwards,” he said.
Hastings, whose village is in Region Seven, also criticised what he described as the reluctance of some leaders to publicly demand accountability.
“Politics determines who is willing to demand accountability and who suddenly finds reasons for silence, especially when our collective voice is necessary,” he wrote.
He argued that many Toshaos feared speaking candidly because of the consequences of challenging those in authority.
“Every time accountability is traded for access, our people ultimately pay the greater price,” he said.
Rejecting calls for the disaster to be viewed outside of politics, Hastings said Indigenous communities lived daily with the consequences of political decisions.
“To say this tragedy should not be political is to ignore the very forces that helped shape it,” he wrote.
Hastings maintained that while governments rightly accepted public praise for achievements, they should also publicly accept responsibility when major failures occurred.
He said that if he were the Minister of Public Works, he would have resigned following the tragedy.
“Leadership is measured not only by accepting praise when things go well, but by accepting responsibility when they do not,” he wrote, adding that stepping aside could help restore public confidence, preserve institutional integrity and create the conditions for meaningful reform.
The comments come as calls continue for accountability following the sinking of the MV Barima in the Atlantic Ocean on July 18. President Irfaan Ali yesterday announced a five-member Commission of Inquiry into the tragedy.
Discussion