President assures diaspora in New York that MV Barima will be salvaged

At a community meeting with Guyanese living in the New York area on Thursday night, President Irfaan Ali reassured curious members of the diaspora that the investigation into the MV Barima ferry tragedy will be impartial. He also recommitted his Government to salvaging the vessel, which continues to sit at the bottom of the ocean, just offshore Essequibo.

It was the President’s first engagement with members of the diaspora in New York since the July 18 tragedy which claimed more than 100 lives.

“We are not hiding from salvaging; there is a process and that process is ongoing. We are not hiding from investigation, the COI is doing its work right now and I am not going to interfere in the work of the COI,” the President noted.

The President acknowledged the ferry tragedy as one of the greatest tragedies in the country’s history.

“There is nothing to hide, we have appointed one of the most accredited Commissions of Inquiry you can find. The Commission of Inquiry would have started it work; we then went out to a public tender to get a company that can do the salvaging of the vessel—if the President pick a company, you will say he pick his friend—we went to a public process, we have the bids that were received in that process. The technical people are reevaluating those bids so that the company can be selected to do the salvaging,” the President said.

Back in July, President Irfaan Ali announced the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry to probe the circumstances that led to the tragedy. He has repeatedly said that he will be guided by the recommendations put forward by that Commission of Inquiry.

But although members of the Commission took their oath of office more than a month ago, public hearings are still to begin. The Commission has been accused of being slothful in its work as family members of those who died and survivors seek closure.

The Commission is mandated to conduct a through, independent, impartial and comprehensive public inquiry into all circumstances surrounding the capsizing and sinking of the MV Barima and all matters connected to the tragedy.