By Albert Baldeo
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. July 28, 2026: Here we go again Guyana. Subservience and intellectual concession to others. Asking others for solutions for problems we already have the answers to, lying right before our eyes. Let’s not be hypocrites. We are, once again, the unwanted focus of the world’s attention with the MV Barima Disaster, the biggest disaster in the Caribbean since 1970.
And before any of you falsely accuse me of being “unpatriotic” or “biased for any political party,” let me tell you that I hold no brief for any political party, or anyone. I am griping only as a patriotic Guyanese-American who cherishes progress and prosperity for ALL Guyanese and am concerned about this ferry tragedy that cost us more than 100 lives. And I was elected, inter alia, as the Diaspora Leader in NY, USA, and as a voice for the people, and would be remiss if I did not articulate their concerns.
While a Commission of Inquiry (COI)is understood, we must implement IMMEDIATE safety checks and fitness certifications for every aircraft, helicopter, passenger vessel, minibus, and all other vehicles, confirming air, sea, land & other travel worthiness to prevent the alarming expansion of tragedies in our native land.
We demand that the investigation also focus on why, inter alia, the replacement vessel, purchased from India at a cost of US$12.7 million, and which arrived in Guyana in April 2023. It was dedicated only to “party cruises for the higher-ups,” did not replace the eighty-seven-year-old M.V. Barima-which, for generations, has been the lifeline of the North-West District, carrying passengers, produce, fuel and goods between Georgetown and Port Kaituma- and whether discrimination of the indigenous Amerindians played a part in this.
OVERSIGHT
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Many are afraid to speak up in Guyana, so we have to be their voice-or this cycle of recurring failures, deaths, injustice and tragedy will continue to plague Guyana. I have also convened a Leadership, Oversight, Reform, Accountability Committee, with jurisdiction in both Guyana and the Diaspora, to ensure this is done NOW.
The crew, passengers, rescue personnel, soldiers, divers, health workers, volunteers, and residents of the river communities who assisted in the rescue and recovery efforts must be consulted, and reforms and systems must be implemented immediately across the board.
The President and Cabinet must convene in an informal, public setting and flesh out all credible information. Not many of these hinterland folks will testify before a COI, for fear of retribution, liability, and possible incrimination. We must also be reminded that the Coroners Act Chapter 4:03 mandates that there be judicial inquiries to answer five core questions on these unnatural deaths: who the deceased are, and how, when, where, and under what circumstances they died.
The Guyanese people cannot wait on any Commission to “recommend legislative, regulatory, institutional and operational reforms to strengthen maritime safety, improve emergency preparedness and reduce the likelihood of similar tragedies in the future.” We owe it to our citizens and others to do so now!
We already know also about the “full circumstances surrounding the disaster, including the causes of the capsizing; reviewing the loading of the vessel, passenger boarding procedures, and onboard conditions; and examining the search, rescue and recovery operations to assess the adequacy, coordination and effectiveness of the response by all agencies involved.” We can take public and judicial notice of information that emerged contemporaneously after the tragedy and let our conscience be our guide.
The other terms of the Commission to “also evaluate compliance with maritime laws and operating procedures, determine whether any negligence, misconduct or dereliction of duty contributed to the tragedy, inspect the vessel’s maintenance history and seaworthiness, assess the influence of weather and other environmental factors, examine the qualifications and conduct of the captain and crew, and scrutinize passenger management, including the vessel’s manifest, possible overcrowding, cargo stowage, and the availability and use of life-saving equipment,” are also moot. Everyone knows what happened.
We don’t need armchair pontificators and post-mortems to divert from taking immediate action, reforms, and genuine resolve to take the place of government’s immediate responsibilities-from top to bottom. Certainly, not another whitewash of our fundamental and constitutional right to travel, work, leisure, exist, and other rights, all of which have been impacted by this tragedy. This tragedy deserves nothing less.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Albert Baldeo is a Guyana-born, Queens-based Community Leader.
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