Public anger over the MV Barima disaster showed no signs of easing on thursday evening as coordinated protests unfolded in Den Amstel, West Coast Demerara, and Georgetown, with demonstrators demanding the release of Delon Granderson while renewing calls for the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar.
The twin demonstrations underscored a growing national movement that has shifted from mourning the victims of the July 18 tragedy to demanding accountability from those responsible for Guyana’s maritime transport system.
While opposition leaders and civil society groups held a candlelight vigil outside Edghill’s South Ruimveldt residence, residents in Den Amstel flooded the streets in support of Granderson, insisting he is being made the face of a tragedy they say was years in the making.
Granderson, 33, served as the Cargo Superintendent aboard the state-owned ferry and was responsible for cargo operations, passenger boarding and ticketing before the vessel departed Georgetown. Protesters argued that while he performed operational duties, responsibility for ensuring the vessel was fit to sail rested far beyond the ferry’s crew.
Carrying placards reading “Free Delon Now!!,” “Jail Edghill,” “Justice for Our Indigenous Peoples,” “Human Rights Where Are You? All Lives Matter,” and “We lost our mothers, fathers, children, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, grandparents—but we still have our voices,” demonstrators accused the Government of criminalising workers while shielding those at the top.
As they marched through the village, chants of “Free the innocent, jail the criminals!” echoed through the streets, reflecting what many described as a deepening loss of confidence in how the tragedy is being handled.
The demonstrations come as public frustration continues to mount over the Government’s handling of the MV Barima disaster, which claimed dozens of lives after the ferry capsized off Guyana’s northwestern coast while sailing from Georgetown to Port Kaituma.
Questions surrounding the tragedy have only intensified.
The Government initially announced that the vessel carried 116 passengers and 17 crew members, a total of 133 people. Since then, that figure has climbed dramatically, with officials now acknowledging that as many as 179 people may have been aboard. Yet, more than two weeks after the sinking, authorities have still failed to produce a definitive passenger manifest, leaving families uncertain whether everyone who boarded the vessel has even been accounted for.
For many Guyanese, that failure has become symbolic of a wider breakdown in oversight, transparency and accountability.
The tragedy struck particularly hard in Region One, where the ferry was headed and where many Indigenous families depend on the vessel as a vital transportation link between the coast and the hinterland. Protesters said their calls for justice were not only for those who perished, but for communities that have long relied on a transport system they believe was allowed to deteriorate.
Granderson is one of three crew members charged with murder following legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Also before the courts are Captain Kevin Price, 40, the vessel’s Master responsible for its overall command and navigation, and Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, the senior deck officer responsible for vessel safety, navigation and deck operations. The men are scheduled to return to court on August 3.
Support for the accused crew members has continued to spread. Residents of Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara, have also staged demonstrations calling for Roberts’ release, arguing that frontline workers are being prosecuted while those responsible for the management, regulation and oversight of the ferry system remain in office.
The latest demonstrations mark another escalation in the political fallout from the disaster. In recent days, protesters have marched outside Parliament, government offices and now the private residence of the Public Works Minister, demanding that Edghill and Indar accept ministerial responsibility for the failures that preceded the sinking.
Although the Government has established a Commission of Inquiry, demonstrators argue that an inquiry cannot erase political responsibility. With no minister stepping aside, no senior public official relieved of duty and no complete accounting of who was aboard the ferry on the night it sank, the protests are no longer centred solely on the MV Barima. They have evolved into a broader indictment of a Government that many demonstrators say has been quicker to prosecute workers than to accept responsibility at the highest levels of office.
