In the wake of the MV Barima ferry capsizing incident that triggered an official presidential probe, Guyana’s Commission of Inquiry (COI) has drawn controversy over its new broadcasting rules, the Guyana Press Association (GPA) confirmed in an official statement published Monday, October 19, 2026.
Following a closed-door meeting between GPA executive leadership and COI commissioners held on October 15, the press body outlined the commission’s final stance: while real-time live streaming of inquiry hearings will remain prohibited, media outlets will be permitted to broadcast proceedings after a mandatory two-hour delay. Javed Shadick, Secretary to the MV Barima COI, formalized this arrangement in a written confirmation, noting that local media organizations retain the right to record and air the entirety of public hearings, barring any temporary restrictions the commission may enact at its own discretion.
This policy marks a clear break from longstanding precedent across Guyana and the wider Caribbean region, where past commissions of inquiry have regularly offered unimpeded live public access to their proceedings. The rejection of real-time broadcasting has already drawn sharp criticism from the Alliance For Change (AFC), an opposition political party that holds no legislative seats in Guyana’s parliament.
In a public statement, the AFC condemned the commission’s decision, arguing that the restriction on live streaming injects unnecessary secrecy into an inquiry that already faces lingering public doubts over its credibility. The party emphasized that blocking firsthand public access deprives Guyanese citizens of the ability to independently monitor the probe, evaluate its fairness, and confirm that the inquiry proceeds without improper external influence.