Relatives of the two Cort brothers – Neil and Kenrick Cort, who are among the more than 30 persons still missing at in the MV Barima ferry tragedy, picketed the Office of the President on Wednesday as they intensified calls for justice, accountability and the salvaging of the sunken vessel.

The two brothers, who operated the canteen on the MV Barima, were among the persons on board the vessel when it capsized and sank off the coast of Essequibo on July 18. Their bodies have never been recovered.

Holding a photo of her father Neil Cort, and her uncle, Kenrick Cort, Jasmine Cort told News Source that accountability must start at the top, as she joined a nationwide call for the Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill, and Minister of Public Utilities, Deodat Indar to step down from office.

“On repeated occasion the system has failed Guyanese. We need, as a country, to address those systematic failures. What happened on the MV Barima was a systematic failure of huge, of huge, huge, huge capacity, and accountability must begin at the top. You cannot hold the little man accountable without holding those who make the rules, who enforce the rules, you cannot, not hold them accountable…because the system will continue to fail. It will continue to fail, and what happened on the MV Barima will happen again,” Jasmine Cort said.

Grieving the loss of her loved ones, Jasmine Cort said the Government in addressing the systemic failures that led to the tragedy, must start by removing the two subject Ministers. She said the launch of the Commission of Inquiry into the tragic incident is simply not enough.

“I am saying Edghill and Indar should step aside. If you have an inquiry, they should step aside. They should recuse themselves. They should not be in the position that they are in. Lives have been lost on their watch. My mother is crying on their watch. I am crying every day for my father and my uncle on their watch. Scores of other families are grieving and hurting on their watch. And we are not going to move on. It might be business as usual for those who don’t have a heart, who do not care, but it is not business as usual for us. We can never move on for what has happened to my father and my uncle. Accountability begins at the top, so as much as you try to ignore, as much as you try to go on your outreaches, and brush things under the rug, we will not forget, we will never forget,” Jasmine Cort said.

Still overtaken by grief, her mother, Diane Cort called for closure.

While 73 bodies have been recovered, Diane Cort said more than 30 persons, including her husband and his brother remain missing. She said the vessel must be salvaged to give families the closure they need.

“The president needs to do better. The government needs to do better. Is human beings we are speaking about here, human beings. This is all we are asking for, all we are asking for, is for the boat to be floated. My husband was a good man, a very good man. At nights I does can’t sleep, because I still feel like my husband is somewhere out there still, because the boat is still down there. I feel like he is still alive,” the heartbroken woman said.

At one stage of the recovery operation, the family was informed that the remains of the two brothers were found. However, when relatives rushed to identify the men, it turned out to be the bodies of two other victims.

Adding her voice to the issue, Marilyn Cort said the remains of her two brothers must be recovered, and the Government must take appropriate steps to ensure the vessel is salvaged.

“We really just need this boat to raise. We don’t care if it’s bones, that’s the only way we will get closure for our loved ones. It’s 2026, it’s Guyana, it’s a little country, you are trying to tell me you don’t have the means. Why everything has to be political. You don’t have the means to raise a little boat, now, why everything got to be political,” the woman said.

Another sister, Bridgette Cort-Soanes, said since the incident, the Government has not reached out the family, and the family deserves answers.

“We ain’t get closure or nothing. Why is it we ain’t get closure? Why is it the Government not raising the boat? Why? Our brothers ain’t find as yet, and if they ain’t find our brothers and our brothers are in the boat, they need to raise the boat like now, now, now, now, so that we can get closure. Even if we get the bones,” Cort-Soanes said.

The Government has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from marine salvage contractors, in an effort to salvage the vessel, with submissions expected no later than August 14.

However, Opposition Member of Parliament, Ganesh Mahipaul believes the tender process should have been bypassed since time is critical and the tender process could be stretched out for weeks.

This Saturday will mark four weeks since the tragedy. (Svetlana Marshall)

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