Other nations’ ministers stepped down following deadly ferry disasters

Jul 26, 2026 News

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…calls grow for Edghill to do the same

(Kaieteur News) – In the wake of what is being described as Guyana’s deadliest maritime disaster, calls have intensified for Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill to resign or be removed from office pending an independent investigation into the capsizing of the MV Barima.

The 87-year-old vessel capsized on the night of July 18 while en route to Port Kaituma, Region One, claiming 73 lives, with dozens still missing. As bodies continue to be recovered from the Atlantic Ocean and details of the tragedy emerge, politicians, civil society groups and members of the public have argued that accountability should extend beyond the crew members and vessel management team who have already been sent home, to Minister Edghill himself.

On July 19, Edghill dismissed claims that the vessel was overloaded or had suffered engine failure, stating that the MV Barima was licensed to carry 284 tonnes of cargo and that its manifest showed 268 tonnes on board. He also said the vessel was licensed to carry 397 passengers but that only 116 were on board at the time of the incident. The following day, however, he acknowledged a discrepancy in the passenger count, conceding that the manifest did not accurately reflect the number of people on board.

Questions have since been raised about the vessel’s maintenance, seaworthiness, regulatory oversight and manifest, and about whether it was overloaded with passengers and cargo. Survivors and relatives of victims have alleged the ferry was overloaded; government authorities have denied the claims.

Since the tragedy, opposition parties, indigenous organisations and activists have called for Edghill’s resignation or removal pending an independent investigation, pointing to examples from other countries where senior officials stepped down after major maritime disasters, accepting ministerial responsibility even before investigations concluded.

Notably, social activist Sherlina Nageer and a small group of women were arrested while staging a protest calling for Edghill’s removal during the National Prayer Service held in honour of the MV Barima victims at the Kingston Seawall Bandstand. Police were recorded attempting to stop the women from protesting peacefully before arresting them; they were subsequently released on self-bail.

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed

The joint opposition comprising We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), the Forward Guyana Movement (FGM), the Alliance For Change (AFC), the Vigilant Political Action Committee (VPAC) and other opposition representatives have demanded Edghill’s immediate resignation.

Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed said that with hopes fading of finding additional survivors and the death toll expected to surpass 100, both the crew and Edghill should face consequences. Asked how he intends to address the matter at the parliamentary level, Mohamed said: “Before we reach the parliamentary level, Edghill must go. Edghill must resign. He must be held accountable.”

Describing the tragedy as the second-deadliest event in Guyana’s history, Mohamed said he believes Edghill should be held criminally responsible. “Edghill should have been in the lockup since this incident happened. He should have been in the lockups first… so Edghill must resign, and we are going to ensure we hold him accountable because he is responsible for what happened here,” he said. Mohamed also questioned whether political interference contributed to operational failures, pointing to reports that instructions on cargo loading often came from senior officials.

MP Dr. Terrence Campbell

A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament, Dr. Terrence Campbell, said many questions surrounding the tragedy remain unanswered and that “accountability must go from top to bottom.”

Describing it as the biggest disaster in Guyana’s history from a single event, noting that while the Jonestown tragedy claimed hundreds of lives, few of the victims were Guyanese, Campbell said the matter must be addressed at the level of the National Assembly, both in terms of accountability and the path forward to prevent recurrence.

Dr. Campbell pointed to Guyana’s Westminster system of governance, under which ministers in other democracies typically resign following tragedies of this magnitude to allow for an independent investigation. “It cannot be that we are so dependent on the great bishop that no one else can do what he’s doing right now,” he said, referring to Edghill, a bishop in the Assemblies of God.

“There should be ministerial responsibility here. You take responsibility when a major catastrophe like this takes place under your watch, and we need to move back to those standards. You resign, and you allow someone else to come in, take over and move the process forward. It cannot be that this country is so dependent on Minister Edghill.”

MP Amanza Walton

Forward Guyana Movement (FGM) Leader and Member of Parliament Amanza Walton said she would have tendered her resignation had she been heading the ministry when such a tragedy occurred.

“I would have offered the president my resignation. It’s really that simple. I think this matter has been handled poorly, from the top down, from the president on down. Look at when the president spoke: by the time President Ali addressed the nation, a couple of things had already happened. Juan Edghill had already, in a most bellicose manner, told the nation the vessel was not overloaded,” she said.

Walton argued that, given the scale of the catastrophe, one would have expected a different approach from President Irfaan Ali. “What should have been done as president, he should have immediately required the minister, the head of the Maritime Administration Department and the head of the Transport and Harbours Division to proceed on leave, to facilitate a full, independent and impartial investigation. I would have said that to the nation,” she said, adding that doing so would have demonstrated a no-nonsense approach to uncovering the truth.

MP Janelle Sweatnam

WIN MP Janelle Sweatnam said: “One life lost is one too many. We have over one hundred persons dead, and we are here to speak for them. This is the highest level of incompetence, and to fix this, there is only one way: the PPP dictatorial administration must go, and we must first start with the minister responsible for the Ministry of Public Works, Minister Juan Edghill.”

Speaking at a joint opposition press conference, Sweatnam said Edghill must accept responsibility for the portfolio entrusted to him and called for his immediate resignation, along with that of MARAD Director Stephen Thomas. She further demanded a transparent, credible and independent investigation, supported by experienced international maritime experts, examining every aspect of the tragedy, from the vessel’s maintenance history and seaworthiness to emergency preparedness, regulatory oversight, and the decisions taken before, during and after the disaster.

Alliance For Change (AFC)

The AFC, in a statement, called for the immediate removal of Edghill and MARAD Director General Stephen Thomas, urging President Ali to remove both officials to facilitate an independent and transparent investigation. The party also proposed establishing a Commission of Inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act, Chapter 19:03, to conduct a comprehensive investigation into all aspects of the tragedy.

Amerindian Peoples Association (APA)

The Amerindian Peoples Association said the tragedy exposed poor management and accountability within the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) and called for the removal of Edghill, “under whose purview the Transport and Harbour Department falls, and under whose watch this tragedy occurred.”

“The state has a responsibility to provide safe, reliable and cost-effective means of transportation for its citizens. For too long, the safety of those who depend on Guyana’s air, waterways and roads has not received the level of attention, urgency and care it deserves,” the APA said.

The Association said Edghill’s account of the manifest discrepancy exposed poor management and accountability in the operation of vessels serving the North West District, asking: “Who oversees the operations of the vessels that they do not detect what appears to be corrupt practices in overloading? Who is responsible for the regular maintenance of the vessels that a seemingly unseaworthy and aged vessel is allowed to ply dangerous routes without care for the souls on board?”

It added that the acceptance and normalisation of corrupt practices, which Edghill described as “mischief,” has consistently contributed to the systemic failures behind the tragedy.

How Other Countries Responded

Calls for ministerial accountability following maritime disasters are not unique to Guyana. In several countries, senior officials have resigned after deadly ferry disasters, accepting political responsibility while investigations were still under way.

Gabon

In March 2023, Gabon’s Transport Minister Brice Paillat resigned a week after more than 20 people were killed when the Esther Miracle ferry sank near the coastal village of Nyonie. According to Reuters, Paillat’s resignation notice did not state a reason, but it followed widespread public calls for him to step down. The ferry was carrying 161 passengers from Libreville to Port-Gentil, though unconfirmed reports suggested it may have carried more people and been overloaded with merchandise. At least 21 people were killed and 31 reported missing.

South Korea

Following the sinking of the Sewol ferry on April 16, 2014, South Korean Prime Minister Chung Hong-won resigned amid heavy criticism of the government’s handling of the disaster, the BBC reported. The ferry, carrying 476 people, most of them students and teachers, sank off the South Korean coast, leaving at least 187 confirmed dead and scores missing and presumed drowned.

The day after the disaster, Chung was booed and had a water bottle thrown at him while visiting grieving parents; his resignation came amid a criminal negligence investigation into 15 crew members. “The right thing for me to do is to take responsibility and resign as a person who is in charge of the cabinet,” he said in a televised statement, apologising on behalf of the government for failures ranging from accident prevention to the initial disaster response, and calling for the country’s “deep-rooted evils” to be corrected.

Senegal

In September 2002, Senegal’s Transport Minister Youssouf Sakho resigned shortly after then-President Abdoulaye Wade pledged a criminal investigation into the sinking of the MS Joola ferry, one of the worst civilian maritime disasters on record, PBS News reported.

The ferry capsized in heavy winds off the coast of The Gambia, with roughly 970 of the estimated 1,034 people on board confirmed dead or missing and presumed dead. Sakho told private radio station Sud FM that he resigned “with the sole aim of giving the president a free hand in dealing with this matter.” According to Reuters, Armed Forces Minister Youba Sambou, whose division ran the ferry service, also resigned. Wade told CNN that “many, many mistakes” led to the sinking and vowed prosecutions: “Under our law, if a person by negligence provokes an accident or the death of a person, he has to be tried. And the people that will have any responsibility will be before the courts.”

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• Edghill, ferry disasters, maritime disaster, nations’ ministers

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