PORT KAITUMA, Guyana — We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Member of Parliament Natasha Singh has raised serious concerns about the level of social support being provided to survivors of the MV Barima tragedy and families grieving the loss of loved ones, saying accounts she received on the ground suggest there has been “almost zero response from the government.”
Singh, who has responsibility for social services in Parliament for WIN, made the statement while visiting Port Kaituma and attempting to obtain an official update from the subregional administration on assistance being provided to affected families.
According to Singh, she visited the subregional office specifically to determine what social services were being offered to survivors and the families of those who died in the ferry disaster.
“I want to have an update on the social services that they’re offering to the survivors and the families of the victims who died on MV Barima,” Singh explained.
She said she approached Jason Ramjohn, whom she identified as being in charge of the subregion, and explained the purpose of her visit. According to Singh, Ramjon initially indicated that he would speak with her after attending to another matter.
However, she said that approximately five minutes later, he emerged from his office and informed her that he could no longer speak with her and that she would instead have to speak with the regional chairman. Singh pointed out that the regional chairman does not have an office at the Port Kaituma subregional location.
The WIN parliamentarian said the encounter was particularly troubling because she had spent the morning speaking directly with survivors and grieving relatives about their experiences since the tragedy.
“I am very, very disappointed because all morning I am on the ground and I’m speaking with survivors, and I’m speaking with families who are grieving, and the response I’m getting is almost zero response from the government,” Singh said.
Singh said her purpose in approaching the government office was to independently verify what affected residents had been telling her.
She said she wanted to hear directly from the government agency responsible for providing services so that she could determine whether the complaints being made by survivors and relatives accurately reflected the assistance available.
Instead, Singh said the refusal to provide her with information only deepened her concerns.
“I wanted to clarify with the government agency responsible to know what they are doing, to know what the people are saying to me is true or not,” she said. Singh went further, arguing that the response she received from the subregional administration effectively reinforced what survivors and grieving families had been telling her.
“I’m very upset because what the AREO has actually done is to confirm what the people are saying, that the government is not offering any kind of service to these people who are affected,” Singh declared. Her statement raises fresh questions about the aftermath of the MV Barima tragedy and, specifically, what systems have been put in place to support those who survived and families who lost loved ones.
Singh’s account also raises questions about access to information concerning those services. As a parliamentarian with responsibility for social services who travelled to Port Kaituma and sought clarification directly from the local government administration, she said she was unable to obtain an explanation of what assistance was actually being provided.
For Singh, however, the most troubling evidence came from the people themselves. Her assessment followed a morning spent speaking directly with survivors and grieving families whose accounts, she said, painted a picture of little meaningful government support in the aftermath of one of Guyana’s most devastating recent maritime tragedies.
