CHARITY, Region Two – Opposition Member of Parliament Juretha Fernandes has accused the PPP/C Government of undermining the search and recovery operation following the MV Barima tragedy, alleging that authorities have “no intention of finding your loved ones” and are more concerned with controlling the public narrative than mounting an effective rescue and recovery effort.
Speaking during a press briefing at Charity alongside fellow opposition parliamentarians, Fernandes said the government’s handling of the disaster has been marked by misinformation, poor coordination, and what she described as a lack of urgency in recovering those still missing.
According to Fernandes, from the outset the government attempted to “control the narrative,” but those efforts were undermined by eyewitness accounts gathered directly by opposition MPs on the ground. She said survivors consistently told opposition representatives that the MV Barima was overloaded, contradicting the government’s initial report that only 116 passengers were aboard. Fernandes noted that many survivors estimated there were closer to 200 people on the vessel, forcing the government to later acknowledge that its earlier passenger count was inaccurate.
She also questioned the credibility of official updates, pointing to the government’s revised rescue figures. Fernandes said officials announced that 69 people had been rescued, only to later increase that figure to 77 without providing a clear explanation for the change. She argued that the conflicting information has eroded public confidence in the government’s management of the crisis.
Fernandes was particularly critical of the government’s management of the search and recovery effort, claiming opposition parliamentarians who mobilized boats and resources to assist were never briefed or incorporated into the official operation.
“In any other country, when elected representatives arrive with resources to help save lives, they would be coordinated into the response,” she said, arguing that the government’s actions demonstrated “zero interest” in conducting a comprehensive search and rescue mission.
The opposition MP further alleged that the government’s response has shifted away from locating those still missing.
“They have zero interest in recovering the bodies of your loved ones,” Fernandes declared. “I want you to hear me loud and clear. They are not putting the resources to work to get the best results for you, the Guyanese citizen.”
Fernandes said opposition members livestreaming from the search area witnessed what they believed to be an inadequate deployment of resources. She also claimed that hospital personnel told opposition representatives local mortuary facilities lacked the capacity to accommodate the number of bodies being recovered, describing the situation as further evidence that authorities were unprepared for the scale of the disaster.
She also accused the government of treating Indigenous families with disrespect, noting that many of the victims were from hinterland communities. Fernandes said the tragedy had disproportionately affected Indigenous Guyanese and called on the administration to demonstrate greater compassion and urgency in its response.
Despite her sharp criticism of the government’s handling of the crisis, Fernandes expressed condolences to the families of the victims.
“It is a sad day for Guyana. We mourn with you. We empathize with you. We feel for you, and we will make sure that the government does not get away with what they’re trying to get away with,” she said.
The Government of Guyana has not publicly responded to Fernandes’ allegations that it undermined search and recovery operations or to her claims that authorities lacked the intention to recover all of those missing.
