Dear Editor,
The MV Barima tragedy has left Guyana mourning. Families continue to endure unimaginable anguish, many still waiting for answers while hoping against hope that their loved ones may yet be found. In moments such as these, the nation’s foremost obligation should be compassion, dignity, and unity.
It is against that backdrop that I find it deeply troubling that images of those who perished were displayed in Parliament as part of a political demonstration. While every Member of Parliament has not only the right but the constitutional duty to hold the Government accountable, accountability must never come at the expense of the dignity of the deceased or the emotional well-being of grieving families.
The photographs of those who lost their lives are not political symbols. They are cherished sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends whose absence has left an immeasurable void in the lives of those who loved them. Before employing such images in political protest, one ought to ask whether the affected families would have welcomed their loved ones’ final images becoming instruments in a parliamentary confrontation.
Public representatives must be especially mindful that grief belongs first to the families. It should never be appropriated in a manner that may unintentionally deepen their pain.
No one should mistake this position as an argument against accountability. On the contrary, accountability is precisely what the nation deserves. The President has already publicly committed to the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy.
Commissioners have already been identified and entrusted with a mandate to establish the facts surrounding this national disaster. The focus now must be on ensuring that the Commission is allowed to conduct its work independently, professionally, objectively, transparently and fairly, free from political interference or preconceived conclusions.
Equally, the Commission must not become an exercise in finding convenient scapegoats. The Guyanese people deserve a process that follows the evidence wherever it leads. Responsibility must not be shifted solely onto the “small man” while those responsible for policy, regulation, oversight, enforcement, operational management or executive decision-making escape scrutiny. If failures occurred at any level, then accountability must extend to every individual whose actions or omissions contributed to this tragedy, regardless of rank, office or influence. Justice commands public confidence only when it is impartial and applied equally.
Equally concerning was the manner in which the parliamentary protest unfolded. Loud desk-banging, shouting at the top of one’s voice and prolonged disorder may generate headlines, but history has repeatedly demonstrated that such tactics rarely alter a government’s legislative agenda.
Having served as a Member of Parliament myself, I learned that Parliament offers something far more valuable than political theatre. It provides representatives with an opportunity to permanently place on the parliamentary record their ideas, criticisms, recommendations and alternative policies. Those contributions become part of the nation’s democratic history and frequently influence future policy discussions long after the day’s political drama has faded.
Regrettably, by choosing disruption over debate, the opposition missed several significant opportunities to advance the interests of the very people they were elected to represent.
They forfeited the opportunity to make substantive contributions to the National Development Bank Bill, a transformative initiative that has the potential to expand access to affordable financing, encourage entrepreneurship, stimulate small and medium-sized enterprises, strengthen agriculture, empower young people and create genuine economic opportunities for thousands of Guyanese.
They also missed the opportunity to rigorously examine the Supplementary Budget by asking probing questions, challenging expenditures where necessary, demanding explanations from ministers and proposing improvements where deficiencies were identified. That is one of Parliament’s most important constitutional responsibilities: ensuring that every dollar of public expenditure is subjected to meaningful scrutiny on behalf of the taxpayers.
These were not merely missed political opportunities; they were missed opportunities to represent the people’s interests in one of the highest decision-making forums of our democracy.
The opposition’s constitutional responsibility is not simply to oppose. It is to persuade, to scrutinize, to legislate, to propose alternatives and to strengthen public confidence in democratic institutions.
There are more dignified and potentially more effective ways to place pressure on any government while honouring those affected by tragedy. These include presenting substantive motions, proposing legislative reforms to strengthen maritime safety, demanding regular ministerial reports, utilising parliamentary committees to examine witnesses and evidence, engaging victims’ families and technical experts in consultations, and ensuring that every recommendation arising from the Commission of Inquiry is debated and monitored through Parliament.
Outside Parliament, Members can organise respectful vigils, memorial services, public consultations and national forums where affected families, should they so choose, can have their voices heard with dignity and respect. Such approaches honour the victims while strengthening the national demand for justice and reform.
Strong opposition is indispensable to democracy. But strength should never be measured by the volume of one’s voice or the force with which one strikes a desk. It should be measured by the quality of one’s arguments, the seriousness of one’s proposals, the effectiveness of one’s oversight and the lasting value of one’s contribution to the nation.
The families affected by the MV Barima tragedy deserve justice. They deserve truth. They deserve transparency. They deserve accountability at every level. Above all, they deserve the assurance that even amid political disagreement, the memory of their loved ones will always be treated with dignity, compassion and humanity.
In moments of profound national grief, Parliament must rise above spectacle and reflect the very highest ideals of public service. Let the memory of those we lost inspire not political theatre, but principled leadership, institutional reform, genuine accountability and a renewed commitment to ensuring that such a tragedy never occurs again.
Yours respectfully,
Jermaine Figueira
Former Member of Parliament
