Dear Editor,
There is a new low in Guyana’s politics, and it is this: the leader of the opposition and leaders within the APNU felt they could thrive opportunistically to secure partisan points, assigning blame to the ruling party rather than focusing on healing the wounds of this nation, determining accountability by awaiting the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI)[1], and recommending systemic reforms.
These opposition elements are of the opinion that by feigning this high level of outrage, they will not only boost their public image, but also weaken the government, thus paving the way for its eventual removal from office.
When the government and its ministers are vehemently attacked by the opposition, the focus is shifted away from the officials who are directly responsible for the day-to-day operations of the MV Barima[2], the Transport and Harbours Department, and the Maritime Administration Department.
In a CoI, these are the people, including the captain, engineers, and crew members, who must be intensely examined and cross-examined to provide answers in order to determine and assign culpability.
Moreover, survivors will have their say. Unfortunately, the opposition is of the opinion that Minister Edghill and Minister Indar have already been found guilty for this national tragedy and must pay the ultimate price of removal from office.
This is quite ludicrous and without any merit, legal or otherwise. These ministers are not culpable in any way, so the question is: why the incessant wailing for their removal from office?
The protests, which were engineered by the opposition, especially by the fugitive offender, who has nothing to lose, have once again sought to reopen old wounds of division that President Irfaan Ali[3] and his loyal team have spent considerable time and effort trying to heal.
It is a shame to witness extremely complex issues, both social and infrastructural, reduced to the vociferous chanting of misdirected, emotional slogans meant only to create hate and mistrust. Is this what a responsible opposition ought to do?
We have travelled too far as a nation to revert to this Neanderthal mentality, where we view our fellow men as adversaries rather than as friends and allies working together to build this nation. I must compliment Vice President, Dr Jagdeo[4] for the dignified calm and statesmanship he displayed in Linden; the opposition leader could learn a great deal from him.
When lives lost are treated as mere propaganda tools, the message transmitted to the public is that human lives are not worth anything. From the very first day of the tragedy, we saw the leader of the opposition busy sharing videos on his Facebook page.
It is outrageous to see the dead bodies of loved ones treated with such cheapness, but publicity, it seems, is the name of the game. I would hate to see the body of my parent or child displayed floating in the Atlantic. Such callousness is inexcusable. This is a gross disrespect to the victims and their families, yet now it has become about scoring cheap political points.
Then, to add insult to injury, the private grief of the families is being dragged into the public domain under the pretext of demonstrating grief and compassion. The political agenda is as clear as daylight, and the crocodile tears fool no one.
Yours sincerely,
Haseef Yusuf
Haseef Yusuf
References
- MV Barima CoI team begins preparatory work, invites public engagements - News Room Guyana — newsroom.gy ↩
- MV Barima ferry commisssion of inquiry visited scene, collecting documents – Demerara Waves Online News- Guyana — demerarawaves.com ↩
- Message by His Excellency Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Co-operative Republic of Guyana to the Parliament of Guyana, Monday 27th July, 2026 – Department of Public Information, Guyana — dpi.gov.gy ↩
- Jagdeo says Linden outreach a success, dismisses protest as 'miserable failure' - News Room Guyana — newsroom.gy ↩
Source
- A national tragedy as a political football in Guyana Chronicle, August 6, 2026