Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has renewed calls for the immediate resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, declaring that the minister “should be in lockup” and assisting investigators instead of the ferry crew. Blaming Edghill for the MV Barima tragedy, Mohamed said the minister must be held accountable, rejected any government-led investigation, and called for an independent international probe to deliver justice for the victims and their families.
Mohamed made the remarks on Thursday while speaking to reporters from aboard one of the vessels participating in the independent search and recovery mission he established following the sinking of the 87-year-old MV Barima on July 18. The ferry capsized off Guyana’s northwest coast while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma with an estimated 179 passengers and crew aboard. To date, 73 bodies have been recovered, while 76 survivors have been verified.
Reflecting on the grim search operation, Mohamed said his team continued to recover bodies drifting along the vessel’s route and warned that the passage of time would make identification increasingly difficult.
“We started to pick up bodies throughout the strip, heading towards the direction where the ferry went down. If we continue to have the bodies out there even longer, you’ll have to do DNA, because the families cannot identify these bodies,” he said.
Turning to the issue of accountability, Mohamed argued that responsibility for the tragedy extends beyond the crew members who have reportedly been detained by police.
“Before we reach to the parliamentary level, Edghill must go. Edghill must resign. He must be held accountable,” Mohamed declared.
He revealed that he had received a telephone call from relatives of one of the crew members, who informed him that crew members, including the captain, had been arrested and were being held in police custody.
“Edghill should have been in the lockups since this incident happened. He should have been in the lockups assisting with the investigation,” he said.
Mohamed described the sinking as Guyana’s worst national tragedy since the 1978 Jonestown massacre, arguing that ministerial accountability was unavoidable.
The Opposition Leader also claimed he had received reports from relatives of crew members alleging that political pressure was placed on the vessel’s operators to transport cargo to Region One.
“What I’m hearing from the families of the crew members… if the boat was going to get a call from Mr. Thomas, ‘please ensure that these cargo go to Region One.’ This is what is happening. They’re pressuring the small man. But at the end of the day, the small man got to get instructions from the ministers.”
Mohamed did not provide evidence to support the allegation.
He also criticised what he described as serious failures in passenger management, arguing that authorities still cannot say with certainty how many people were aboard the vessel when it sank.
“No system is in place as related to the manifest. They don’t even know how much persons went on the vessel. Right now we’re out here, we have nothing to work with to know how much we got to look for.”
Government officials initially reported that the ferry was carrying 116 passengers and 17 crew members, but later revised that figure to an estimated 179 passengers and crew after reviewing surveillance footage and other information, acknowledging that numerous passengers were not recorded on the official manifest.
Mohamed also dismissed the prospect of a locally managed investigation into the tragedy.
“Of course not,” he replied when asked whether he would support a domestic investigation.
Instead, he called for internationally recognised law enforcement agencies to lead the probe.
“I would like to see the FBI, Scotland Yard and all these foreign agencies come into this country and investigate, and ensure that the families get justice.”
Drawing a comparison with the aftermath of the 2023 Mahdia Secondary School Dormitory Fire, Mohamed urged grieving families to exercise caution before signing any documents presented by government officials.
“We don’t want what happened with the Mahdia fire, where they came and gave them some money to sign a document and they didn’t even know what they were signing. I hope and I’m calling on the relatives to ensure and be careful when they come to bring paperwork for you to sign.”
Mohamed’s comments come as pressure continues to mount on the Government over its handling of the tragedy. Opposition parties, civil society organisations and relatives of victims have demanded greater transparency, ministerial accountability and an independent international investigation into the circumstances surrounding one of the deadliest maritime disasters in Guyana’s history.
