The MV Barima tragedy — Albert Baldeo — Opinion

The MV Barima tragedy

September 1, 2026·2 min read

Dear Editor,

Martin Carter’s immortal words, “This Is the Dark Time, My Love,”^[1] once captured the fear, anguish and oppression that overshadowed British Guiana. Although Carter wrote about a different national crisis, his words resonate painfully today as Guyana mourns the victims of the MV Barima tragedy^[2]—and confronts a government response marked by delay, silence and inadequate accountability.

For the grieving families, this tragedy did not end when the vessel went down. Their suffering continues with every unanswered question, every unfulfilled promise and every day that passes without truth, justice or closure. They have already endured the unbearable loss of their loved ones. They should not also be forced to endure the additional torment of official inaction and uncertainty. This is indeed a dark time: families waiting for answers, a nation searching for the truth, and unexplained delays keeping wounds painfully open. Their grief must never be treated as a political inconvenience, a public-relations problem or yesterday’s news. Behind every victim was a human life—a parent, child, spouse, sibling, relative or friend—whose absence has left a permanent void.

Carter transformed national suffering into a call to conscience. The MV Barima tragedy must similarly awaken the conscience of Guyana and its leaders. The Government has a solemn duty to raise and preserve the vessel, safeguard all available evidence, complete a credible and genuinely independent investigation, provide truthful answers, account fully for all public expenditures, establish responsibility, and deliver fair and timely compensation to the victims and their families.

The entire nation deserves answers:

Why has the MV Barima not been raised and properly preserved?
Why has the investigation not been completed?
How have the public funds allocated after the tragedy been spent?
When will the findings be released?
When will the families receive adequate compensation?
Who will accept responsibility for the failures that caused or compounded this tragedy?

These are not partisan questions. They are questions of humanity, justice and public accountability. Guyanese at home and abroad are entitled to ask whether the Government’s failures reflect indifference, arrogance, incompetence, political calculation—or a callous disregard for human suffering. At what point does unexplained delay become official indifference, and official indifference become institutional cruelty? No sophisticated messaging, political strategy, data analytics or artificial intelligence can conceal the human cost of inaction. Public relations cannot raise the vessel, uncover the truth, comfort the bereaved, compensate the injured or bring the dead home. Only honest, compassionate and decisive leadership can begin to do that. Until truth, justice, accountability, compensation and closure are delivered, the darkness surrounding the MV Barima will remain a permanent stain upon this administration. History will judge the Government not by the sophistication of its explanations, but by the urgency, compassion, transparency and integrity of its response—or its failure to respond. The MV Barima tragedy has become a defining test of this administration’s leadership. Unless it acts decisively, humanely and transparently, it will also become its defining legacy.

Regards,
Albert Baldeo

References

Analysis of Martin Carter's poem "This is the Dark Time, My Love"

www.enotes.com · 2024-07-04

# Analysis of Martin Carter's poem "This is the Dark Time, My Love" ... **Summary:** In "This is the Dark Time, My Love," Martin Carter explores themes of oppression and resistance. The poem reflects on a period of political turmoil, highlighting the struggles and suffering of the people. Through vivid imagery and emotive language, Carter conveys a sense of foreboding and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity. ... **"This is the Dark Time, My Love"**--we can learn a lot by looking at the titles to poems. "Dark Time" has the implication of danger, or trouble. "My love" lets us know that the poem is addressing ... *This is the dark time, my love, All round the land brown beetles crawl about ... The shining sun is hidden in the sky ... Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow ... can imply that evil or danger is at hand.) Lastly, the red flowers bend their heads toward the ground (another sign of sadness, of despair.) ... *This is the dark time, my love, ... It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. ... It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery ... Everywhere the faces of men are strained and anxious* ... *Who comes walking in the dark night time? ... Whose boot of steel tramps down the slender grass ... It is the man of death, my love, the stranger invader ... Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream.* ... **What is the structure of Martin Carter's poem "This is a Dark Time my Love"?** ... The "Dark Time" spoken of by Carter is war. In the second line, there are ... "beetles crawl[ing] about" which are a[metaphor](https://www.enotes.com/topics/literary-terms/complete-index/metaphor)representing soldiers. The red ... flowers take on human qualities by "bend[ing] their heads in awful sorrow," ... which is[personification](https://www.enotes.com/topics/literary-terms/complete-index/personification). In this sense, meaning is added to the poem by ... illustrating that humans are not the only beings impacted ... The "festival of guns" and the "carnival of misery" are also ironic ... metaphors. They use "fun" words to describe misery and guns. In the last part ... of the poem, the "man of death" comes: ... Who comes walking in the dark night time? ... sleep and aiming ... **How would you describe the ... and tone of Martin Carter's poem "This is the Dark Time, My Love"?** ... **Who is the persona and what is their attitude in Martin Carter's poem "This is the dark time, my love"?** ... Martin Carter (1927-1997) was a poet of mixed European, East Indian, ... and African descent who lived in British Guyana, a country in S. America that was a colony of Great Britain until 1966. Many of his poems deal with themes of politics, resistance, and protest against colonialism (see first link ... "This is the dark time, my love" fits into this category of poem. ... The narrator of the poem seems to be a man who is addressing his "love"; whether this person is his lover or his child is debatable. ... The poem begins with a simple description of nightfall: ... > This is the dark time, my love, > All round the land brown beetles crawl about > The shining sun is hidden in the sky. ... The description quickly turns to a metaphorical darkness of oppression and misery: ... > Red flowers bend their heads in awful sorrow ... > This is the dark time, my love, > It is the season of oppression, dark metal, and tears. > It is the festival of guns, the carnival of misery. ... Based on the general themes of Carter's poetry, and on his political activism, it can be safely assumed that he is referring to the misery of colonial oppression. This view is strengthened by the reference near the end of the poem to "the stranger invader"--the British colonizers who have invaded from a "strange," foreign land. ... As its title indicates, this is a "dark," pessimistic poem. As the poem concludes, the "stranger invader" is so powerful that he is "Watching you sleep and aiming at your dream."

Source

The MV Barima tragedy in Kaieteur News, September 1, 2026

dpi.gov.gy · 2026-07-27

Statement to the National Assembly by the Honourable Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips on the chronological account of the Government’s response following the MV Barima tragedy – Department of Public Information, Guyana ... Barima tragedy ... I rise to place before the National Assembly an account concerning the tragedy involving the MV Barima, the search, rescue and recovery operations that followed, and the support provided to the affected families. ... A total of 77 persons were rescued and one of the persons rescued subsequently died. ... Search and rescue/recovery operations continued over the period Sunday 20th July 2026 to present. ... On 20th July 2026, The MV Barima was found resting on the seabed approximately 31 nautical miles northwest of the point of uninitial distress communicated by the Air Traffic Control tower. This was based on the report made by Mr. Haresh Singh and the assistance provided by local fisherfolk, ExxonMobil Guyana, VESHI and Sealand Survey’s Gilligan Island in confirming the vessel’s exact position. ... The Ministry of Health and the Guyana Police Force subsequently established joint protocols for the processing, transportation and storage of the deceased. Identification procedures were to take place at the Suddie Hospital. The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre remained operational, and the search and recovery effort continued. ... The public was advised that full recovery mode was being pursued. The Government of France had provided 15 divers, who joined the local team at the site. It was also announced that recovered bodies would be taken to Charity for processing by the health and police authorities, and that relatives would be invited to identify their loved ones at the Suddie Hospital. ... At 13:00 hrs on 21 July, 16 vessels were deployed within the wreckage area. The designated search area had been expanded by an additional 400 square miles, extending to Waini Point. French and local divers continued underwater operations, while relatives undertook the identification of recovered bodies at the Suddie Hospital. ... State and private sector vessels continued operating throughout the expanded search area, supported by aerial surveillance. Aircraft also ... the Sudd ... , Dr Frank Anthony ... and his team remained at ... hospital and began facilitating the release of identified bodies to their relatives. ... Regional authorities remained engaged with families to facilitate arrangements for interment. All stakeholders were reminded that recovered bodies were to be transferred immediately to the custody of the Guyana Police Force at the designated facility at the Charity River Dam, in accordance with the established recovery and identification protocols. ... , the Government reported that support assets from the ... Guard and the Brazilian Navy ... Guyana’s ... and two aircraft were involved. ... Mr Speaker, in the final operational update issued on 24 July, the Government advised that the coordinated search and recovery operation remained active throughout the day. The designated search area had been expanded by an additional 32 square miles, westwards to Waini Point and eastwards to Adventure, while aerial surveillance flights continued. ... Five dives, each lasting between 45 and 60 minutes, were completed on 24 July. During one of those dives, one body was recovered from within the MV Barima. This brought the cumulative number of bodies recovered to 73, of whom 69 had been positively identified. ... Mr Speaker, this tragedy has caused immeasurable grief across our country. The Government extends its deepest condolences to every family that has lost a loved one and remains committed to supporting those affected. ... The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre remained fully operational throughout the period from Saturday 2026/07/19 to now, and the search, rescue and recovery effort continued with the commitment that every reasonable effort would be exhausted.