President to appoint 5-member Commission of Inquiry to probe MV Barima tragedy; Opposition gripes over non-consultation

What this source establishes

News Source Guyana reports on the 25 July televised broadcast in which President Ali said he would appoint a five-member Commission of Inquiry on Sunday 26 July. It lays out the same scope reported by other outlets, and notes the announcement came after the Opposition had already announced plans to bring its own motion to the National Assembly on Monday for an independent COI with opposition inclusion. The report carries APNU's response that the announcement 'falls far short of the level of accountability the Guyanese people deserve'.

Figures cited in this source

more than 70 lives claimed, dozens more still missing

Key claims

• President Irfaan Ali announced that on Sunday he will appoint a five-member Commission of Inquiry to probe the MV Barima ferry tragedy.
• Ali made the announcement in a televised broadcast on Saturday.
• The Commission is expected to comprise experts in law, marine engineering, maritime safety and disaster investigation.
• The Commission will examine the loading of the vessel, passenger boarding procedures, conditions on board, seaworthiness, maintenance history, and compliance with maritime laws and safety standards.
• The Commission will examine the conduct and competence of the master and crew, passenger management and life-saving arrangements, and the role of weather, sea conditions and other operational factors.
• The Commission will review the search, rescue and recovery operations and assess adequacy, coordination and effectiveness of the response by all agencies and stakeholders.
• The Commission will be empowered to determine whether negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty or institutional failures contributed to or caused the tragedy, and to recommend reforms.
• The Opposition had already announced plans to move to the National Assembly on Monday with its own motion for an independent COI and calls for opposition inclusion.
• APNU said the announcement 'falls far short of the level of accountability the Guyanese people deserve'.
• APNU said the most troubling aspect is the President's refusal to place Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar on administrative leave pending the outcome of the inquiry.
• APNU said both ministers have direct oversight responsibilities for the maritime sector and that 'in any mature democracy' officials with ministerial responsibility for such a catastrophic failure 'would step aside'.

Quotations

• “Most troubling is the President's refusal to place Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar on administrative leave pending the outcome of the inquiry.”— A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), statement
• “In any mature democracy, public officials with ministerial responsibility for a sector in which such a catastrophic failure has occurred would step aside to ensure public confidence in the investigative process.”— APNU, statement

This page is a research summary prepared for comment and review. It is not the article. Copyright in the original remains with News Source Guyana; the full text is held only in the private research corpus from which this archive was compiled. Follow the link above to read it at the source.