分类： politics

On Wednesday, August 5, 2026, two major Guyanese groups — the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) and the main opposition coalition A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) — publicly condemned Juan Edghill, Guyana’s minister of maritime transportation, for joining a government-led community outreach in Region One (Barima-Waini), the home region of most victims of the July 19 MV Barima ferry sinking. The tragedy, one of the worst maritime disasters in the country’s recent history, has left 72 people confirmed dead, 30 others unaccounted for, and 76 survivors rescued. Widespread public and political demand for Edghill’s resignation or dismissal has persisted in the weeks since the sinking, as critics hold him responsible for the systemic failures that led to the disaster.

Jean La Rose, an executive member of the APA, described Edghill’s inclusion in the outreach, which was headed by sitting President Irfaan Ali, as a deliberate mockery of grieving Region One communities. La Rose emphasized that the minister bears direct accountability for the tragedy and should step down immediately to clear the way for an uncompromised, independent investigation. She raised concerns that the government-orchestrated community meetings would restrict open criticism, noting that pre-screened, hand-picked speakers have been allowed to dominate similar government events in the past.

When asked whether Edghill could have attended the outreach to address community questions directly, La Rose argued that he could only do so legitimately if he had already resigned from his post. She added that other key stakeholders, including the ferry’s captain, its first mate, and a senior superintendent from the Transport and Harbours Department, should also be present to answer for the failures that led to the sinking. La Rose also pointed to ongoing gaps in casualty accounting, arguing that a functioning accountability system would have provided an accurate, complete count of how many passengers were on board when the vessel went down. She further criticized the five-member Commission of Inquiry (COI) convened by the government, saying it was assembled hastily without public input on its membership or terms of reference. APNU has echoed these criticisms in full.

Juretha Fernandes, an APNU member of parliament, argued that Edghill has already proven himself incapable of delivering safe maritime transportation for Guyanese citizens. She called Edghill’s presence at the Region One outreach a blatant “slap in the face” to grieving Indigenous families in the region. “This sends a clear message from the Guyanese government to the Indigenous people of Region One: we do not care about your lost loved ones, we do not care about your pain, and we have no empathy for what you are going through right now,” Fernandes stated. She urged Region One residents to unite in rejecting Edghill, who she labeled a “monument to impunity” that embodies the government’s refusal to hold officials accountable. “Over 100 lives were lost on this minister’s watch, due to his own negligence and incompetence, and now the government sends him to meet the very communities that lost so much,” Fernandes added.

Fellow APNU parliamentarian Nima Flue-Bess extended the criticism to the government as a whole, arguing that Guyanese voters must ultimately decide how long they will tolerate what she called an “uncaring and unempathetic” administration. Flue-Bess claimed the outreach is just the latest government tactic to mislead the public, pointing to the hand-picked COI and quiet, private outreach to victim families as efforts to silence demands for justice. “All of these actions demonstrate a complete lack of care for the victims and their loved ones. It is time for the Guyanese people to respond in kind,” she said.

To date, Edghill has not directly addressed the calls for his resignation, only stating that he will issue a statement at an “appropriate” time. Despite the widespread criticism, APNU parliamentary leader Dr. Terrence Campbell acknowledged that sustained public pressure from opposition and civil society groups has forced limited progress from the government. Campbell confirmed that the administration has now issued a call for expressions of interest from experienced marine firms to salvage the sunken MV Barima, a core demand for a thorough COI investigation. While Campbell said the opposition remains unsatisfied with the slow pace of progress, he added that the outcome proves protests work: “If we had not protested and kept up pressure, the PPP government would have left the MV Barima sitting at the bottom of the Atlantic, with no investigation and no accountability.” Campbell also noted that the disaster has galvanized opposition unity, which was on display during an earlier outreach led by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo in Linden on Tuesday. “Unified action is the only way we can hold this government accountable to the Guyanese people,” he said.

On Wednesday, 5 August 2026, a routine maritime inspection along Guyana’s Pomeroon River erupted into a major political controversy after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) halted a speedboat carrying Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed, drawing sharp accusations of political weaponization from opposition lawmakers. The confrontation centers on competing claims over why the Moruca-bound vessel was blocked from continuing its journey, deepening already tense relations between the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) administration and the opposition bloc.

In an official statement responding to public criticism, the GDF clarified that its Coast Guard detachment stationed at the Pomeroon Floating Base stopped the vessel as part of regular compliance checks for vessels transiting local waterways. According to the military statement, the vessel’s operator failed to produce three mandatory documents required for passage: a valid boat master’s licence, official vessel registration, and a current certificate of vessel inspection. Under established GDF procedures, all vessels must register their journey at the floating base and present full documentation before proceeding to their destination. As a result of the missing paperwork, the captain was ordered to return to the nearby port of Charity to secure the required certifications before resuming the trip, the GDF explained.

The military emphasized that the inspection was not targeted at any individual or political group, framing the action as part of ongoing efforts to enforce maritime safety rules, boost waterway security, and ensure all operators comply with national regulations. The GDF also reminded all vessel operators to maintain up-to-date documentation and require all passengers to wear properly fitted lifejackets for the duration of all voyages.

Opposition leaders have rejected the military’s explanation, decrying the stop as a deliberate act of political repression orchestrated by the ruling PPPC. Speaking to reporters from a picket line outside the Office of the President, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Parliamentary Leader Dr. Terrence Campbell called the incident a dangerous escalation of authoritarian tactics, accusing the government of turning the GDF into a political weapon to violate core constitutional rights. “We are seeing this thing escalating now under this PPPC dictatorship,” Campbell said. “We are seeing a weaponisation of the Guyana Defence Force and this is worrying because especially the army they are there to uphold the constitution of Guyana.” Campbell added that the incident follows a similar alleged targeting of Mohamed the previous day, when security forces were deployed to the town of Linden during a protest at Watooka House, where the opposition leader’s boat was reportedly flagged for interdiction.

Mohamed, who confirmed he had chartered the speedboat to attend a planned peaceful protest in Moruca, backed up Campbell’s claims of political persecution. The opposition leader said his party departed Charity at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, arriving at the Pomeroon Floating Base an hour later to complete required check-in procedures for travel into the Atlantic Ocean. After the crew tied the vessel to the base and all passengers signed the required log, a GDF service member requested photographs of the group, which were provided without objection. The situation shifted, Mohamed said, when the same service member demanded to see the vessel’s registration documentation. The captain informed personnel that he had already transited the same waterway earlier that same morning without being asked for the documents, Mohamed added.

Ultimately, the trip was aborted, and Mohamed was forced to return to Charity. He claimed a police marine unit shadowed his vessel back to port, and he had received intelligence that plainclothes police were already waiting in the Moruca creek to intercept him on arrival. “Political persecution and victimization- they don’t want me to attend peaceful protest at Moruca. The President doesn’t want to see me there,” Mohamed said.

The trip had already faced a preliminary hurdle: the Toshao (indigenous village leader) of Santa Rosa issued a public advisory stating that Mohamed did not have permission to visit the community. But Mohamed pushed back against that restriction, noting that a majority of the village’s residents had requested he visit to address their concerns. He explained that he chartered the speedboat instead of using his personal vessel because his own boat has an extended engine that risks hitting submerged debris in the shallow local waterways.

Mohamed also challenged the GDF’s authority to carry out documentation checks, arguing that this responsibility falls exclusively to Guyana’s Maritime Administration, not the military. He further claimed that the vast majority of small vessels operating between Pomeroon and Moruca lack formal registration, even though most captains hold valid personal operating licenses.