More than a month after the MV Barima tragedy, the continuing cries of affected families for financial, legal and psychosocial support have prompted the political opposition to step into a vacuum it says should never have existed.
Friday, Office of the Leader of the Opposition launched the Humanitarian Emergency Relief Operation (H.E.R.O.), bringing together lawyers, psychologists, social workers and financial professionals to provide free assistance to survivors and relatives of those killed or still missing.
More than 40 affected families attended the launch, where Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed and Members of Parliament from We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) met with families seeking assistance, answers and closure.
The initiative is being presented as a direct response to what the opposition describes as the Government’s failure to provide sustained support following the disaster.
WIN General Secretary and Member of Parliament (MP) Odessa Primus, who chaired the launch, said the opposition was compelled to act because of the shortcomings at the national level.
“Unfortunately, it is not under the best of circumstances, but given all that has transpired over the last month or so, we have taken it upon ourselves, on the backdrop of failures at the national level, to create a forum for the families that were affected by the MV Barima tragedy.”
Primus said H.E.R.O. is intended to become more than a one-off response to the Barima disaster, with plans to involve political parties, non-governmental organisations and civil society groups.
“And so today we are going to be launching that initiative, HERO, Humanitarian Emergency Relief Operation. And of course, this is going to come into play every time there is a national tragedy.”
She stressed that the initiative should transcend political and religious divisions.
“It should be one that focuses on Guyanese and not necessarily politics or religion, or it’s all of us coming together to ensure that all of us are in the best possible situation at the end of the day.”
Filling a gap
The initiative comes amid continuing complaints from families that government assistance has been largely promises rather than tangible relief.
Many of those affected lost breadwinners, leaving families confronting grief while simultaneously struggling with food, transportation, medical and other expenses.
Mohamed called on President Irfaan Ali to immediately provide each affected family with at least G$5 million in interim assistance, arguing that families should not have to wait for the Commission of Inquiry to conclude before receiving help.
“Have a heart for the people.”
The opposition’s intervention has also created access to professional services that families might otherwise struggle to afford.
Attorneys-at-law Roysdale Forde S.C, Eusi Anderson, Siand Dhurjon, Nigel Hughes, and Damien DaSilva, along with economist, chartered accountant and attorney Christopher Ram, have committed to provide pro bono assistance.
DaSilva cautioned families against signing documents or entering agreements without independent legal advice.
Ram questioned why emergency mechanisms had not already been activated.
“Where is the emergency fund? Where is the national relief? Where is the Parliamentary Relief Committee working towards compensation? Where is the activation of funds intended to provide relief to Amerindian communities?”
He argued that interim assistance should not depend on the completion of the inquiry.
Psychologist Dr. Telford Layne, together with other psychologists who have chosen not to be identified, has also volunteered to provide free support to survivors and relatives dealing with grief and trauma.
Families still waiting
The launch brought the continuing human cost of the tragedy into sharp focus.
Families whose loved ones remain missing more than a month after the vessel sank pleaded for the Barima to be salvaged so that remains can be recovered and they can finally obtain closure.
One relative, speaking through tears, said:
“Even if it’s just their bones.”
The opposition said its relief effort will continue beyond the launch, with legal, mental-health, social-work and financial professionals available to assist affected families.
MP Nandranie Singh also disclosed that the MV Barima Donation Drive, organised by the Opposition Leader’s Office in collaboration with WIN and its New York chapter, has raised nearly G$22 million.
The launch ended with a candle-lighting ceremony and a minute of silence for those who lost their lives.
H.E.R.O. now places the opposition in an unusual position: providing services and assistance that families say they have been unable to obtain adequately through the Government’s official response.
Primus said the initiative will remain open to wider national participation, signalling an attempt to build a non-partisan humanitarian mechanism around a tragedy that has left families demanding not only compensation, but support, accountability and closure.
