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.
