A national disaster is when men dig deep. They find the best in themselves. Be it from force majeure or manmade, a national disaster is the worst time for spinning. Continuing membership in a political party isn’t worth it. Nor misplaced sense of loyalty to leaders. Or indebtedness that must be repaid. With contortions. With what deforms a nation already grappling with too much of both. This is the time for ministers, advisers, leaders in the PPP Govt to come clean. The full story, as known. A clean sheet. Nothing redacted. Nothing withheld.
First, what is the figure on those missing? A firm number, if such could be derived. No tricks. The missing now presumed dead. I have presented 66, based on government’s figures of those onboard versus the number rescued. It was adamantly and dismissively said that the MV Barima was “not overloaded.” If 37 of the persons rescued were not on the passenger manifest, then this question boils. How many more names were also not on the manifest? How many of them not rescued? Perhaps, never to be found. Or their existence and presence on that boat officially acknowledged. Since those 37 turned up and upturned assertions of no overloading, another question surfaces. How overloaded was that boat now at the bottom? Was it only the known 37? Or was it 137? Having fallen on its face with no overloading, yet 37 unknowns are found, the government can neither recover nor return with some number of its own. A number plucked from its bag of tricks to aid in damage minimization. The PPP Govt has damaged itself. Beyond repair, I believe. It failed to provide adequate representation on a farm. It repeats that standard with a sunken boat; and a bulky circle of citizens never going home again. My advice stands: come clean on the MV Barima. Less of advice. More of a command.
Second, depending on how much the MV Barima was overloaded, it is probable that there weren’t enough lifejackets. How many fell into the category of ‘not enough.’ What happened to them? Did they sink like bricks? Or floated close to shores hundreds of miles away? Unrecognizable bodies now further mangled by losing encounters with jagged rocks.
Third, there is the MV Barima itself. A boat long past its better days. Few nautical miles left in its tank. Fewer of any kind of miles. Period. Billions could be found to fuel the fun and frolic that’s rapturously celebrated at the National Tender Board and the Procurement Commission. But a fraction of those billions couldn’t be found to replace a boat nearing a hundred years. Millions [maybe billions] could be founds for balls and banquets, but none for a boat. All the boats can’t be built at once. I agree. But when arguably 70 cents on each dollar is seized by PPP Govt insiders to feed their addiction to corruption, then the remaining 30 cents per budget dollar can only buy so much. The MV Barima had to wait. Now it waits in Davey Jones’ locker. Scattered in its wake are the lifeless bodies of Guyanese who trusted in it (and their leaders) and paid the ultimate price. Regarding price, try this.
Fourth, helicopters were bought with much fanfare and much cash by the PPP Govt. One senior arranger behind that deal is also MIA, conspicuously silent. Weigh this: one of those new helicopters, only one lifts off, and what were the probabilities? Zeroing in. Latching on. Winching up. One nearly watery casualty to the MV Barima tragedy. Then, a dozen, then dozens more, with early intervention. Who is responsible for new helicopters stuck to the tarmac? There is too much blood on the hands of leaders (coming up soon) for heads not to be hung on a public pike.
Fifth, I sense the usual farces. Leaders wracked by artificial tears. Leaders’ voices muted. In pretenses of bonding with those savaged by loss, grief. A leader hurrying with ointments for what ringworms and eczemas pasted all over. And death.
Last, a mourning season. Then, it’s back to the usual business. Tricking Guyanese. Wounding them grievously. I’m trying to help the unclean identify the gravity of their uncleanliness. So, they resolve to come clean. Just this once. Amen.
