GEORGETOWN – Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Managing Director Joel Earl Simpson on Wednesday joined indigenous representatives and civil society activists on the protest line, calling for the resignation of the ministers responsible for Guyana’s maritime sector and urging the launch of an independent international-standard marine casualty investigation into the sinking of the MV Barima.
Speaking during the demonstration organized by the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), Simpson described the protest as a legitimate exercise of democratic freedom and said the scale of the tragedy demanded accountability at the highest levels.
“The subject ministers need to do the dignified thing and resign,” Simpson said. “If they don’t resign, the President should fire them.”
He argued that allegations of systemic failures surrounding the July 18 ferry disaster made it impossible for the public to have confidence in any investigation while the ministers with responsibility for the sector remained in office.
“We are looking at an issue where gross negligence is definitely a part of it,” Simpson said, pointing to reports that the 87-year-old vessel may not have been seaworthy, may have been overloaded with passengers and cargo, and was operating amid multiple systemic failures.
Simpson maintained that the ministers responsible for Public Works and the ministry overseeing the Maritime Administration Department should step aside to ensure an independent and impartial investigation.
Beyond the Commission of Inquiry already established by the Government, Simpson called for a separate marine casualty investigation conducted by international experts in marine safety.
According to him, such an investigation would focus on the technical causes of the disaster, including salvaging the vessel to examine its equipment, determine the cargo it was carrying and establish the exact number of people who were on board.
He said recovering the vessel could also assist in locating additional victims who may still be trapped inside.
“A technical marine casualty investigation and report from an international body, or an investigation of international standards, can feed into the Commission of Inquiry so that we really know where culpability and liability lie,” he said.
Simpson also argued that the tragedy should become the catalyst for a comprehensive review of Guyana’s entire public transportation system.
He noted that concerns extend beyond ferry operations to road transportation, where fatal accidents involving minibuses and taxis have become commonplace, as well as growing public discussion about the safety of domestic air travel.
“This shouldn’t just be limited to the ferries,” Simpson said. “This is an opportunity to be proactive and review all public transportation, whether it’s on road, whether it’s on sea, whether it’s in the air, so nothing like this will ever happen again in Guyana.”
