Dear Editor,
I am shocked and appalled by what I witnessed on Wednesday during the engagement convened by the commissioners appointed to conduct the Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy.
I initially welcomed the news that the commissioners would meet with relatives of those who lost their lives. These families deserve every opportunity to share their experiences, raise their concerns and seek answers about a tragedy that has brought them unimaginable pain.
However, when I tuned in, I saw political operatives from WIN and APNU advancing what I considered to be political narratives during an engagement intended to hear directly from the families. I found this deeply troubling. The families’ voices should have been at the centre of those proceedings, with sufficient time and space for each person to speak freely.
One would recall that the opposition was offered an opportunity to place its positions on record in the National Assembly. Instead, they chose noisy grandstanding that disrupted the sitting and reduced the atmosphere to what we would describe, in Guyanese parlance, as a fish market.
Having witnessed that conduct, I am concerned about similar political posturing finding its way into the commission’s engagement with grieving relatives. An inquiry of this gravity requires dignity, discipline and a resolute commitment to establishing the facts.
The commissioners have a solemn responsibility to ensure that the families are heard and that the proceedings going forward remain focused on the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Every contribution should assist that process.
These families have suffered a devastating loss. Their grief deserves respect, their questions deserve careful attention, and their search for answers deserves a credible and thorough inquiry.