Protest erupts in Parliament as opposition demands Edghill, Indar resign over MV Barima tragedy

Jul 28, 2026 News

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By Renay Sambach

(Kaieteur News) – As the National Assembly convened on Monday to approve nearly $55 billion to advance the government’s development projects and programmes, the joint opposition staged a protest, insisting that it should not be business as usual following Guyana’s deadliest maritime disaster.

The MV Barima capsised just over a week ago while en route to Port Kaituma, Region One, leaving 73 people confirmed dead and at least 30 people missing at sea.

Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) called for the resignations of Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill and Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar over the July 18 MV Barima tragedy. The joint opposition’s protest began outside the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC) ahead of the parliamentary sitting.

Despite the protest outside and inside the National Assembly by MPs from We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Forward Movement Guyana (FGM), Senior Minister in the Office of the President with Responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh, successfully piloted the government’s first supplementary budget totalling $54.9 billion, months after the $1.558 trillion 2026 National Budget was approved. Several other bills were also passed.

Outside the ACCC, opposition MPs were joined by members of the Alliance For Change (AFC) and the Vigilant Political Action Committee (VPAC), who chanted for the removal of Edghill and Indar.

WIN Chief Whip Tabitha Sarabo-Halley said that while she does not believe removing the ministers would be enough, it would be a first step. “You first have to acknowledge that something was done wrong and the subject minister that was in charge of that particular vessel should be the first to go,” the MP said.

She alleged that the PPP administration is good at “covering for their own,” adding, “So I don’t have any real hope that on their own that they will hold anybody accountable. But that is why the people have to stand up and speak for the right. I think it’s now on the people.”

Sarabo-Halley pointed to the Mahdia tragedy that claimed the lives of 20 children and the death of Adriana Younge, noting, “Now we have another tragedy with over 100 persons that have died. What are we going to do as a people. Are we going to accept it or are we going to say enough is enough?”

Parliamentary Leader of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Dr. Terrence Campbell, told reporters that the opposition is united on the tragedy particularly that the Irfaan Ali-led administration has not been known to respond even in the most egregious situations.

“We’ve had the Adriana Young situation and this government just brushed it aside and now we have this situation where so far 72 Guyanese have died,” the APNU MP noted.

He said information made public has raised questions about the 87-year-old vessel and concerns that the MV Barima was overloaded.

Dr. Campbell also referenced comments made by Minister Edghill on July 19. “We had a rush to judgment by Minister Edghill, in an attempt to shut down what was the biggest tragedy in Guyana’s recent history, claiming that the killer wave came across the boat. Thankfully we have survivors who tell about excessive cargo, who tell about water coming on the boat,” he noted.

The MP stressed that there are many unanswered questions surrounding the MV Barima tragedy and highlighted that the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) falls under Minister Edghill’s portfolio and he should address concerns, especially regarding the vessel’s seaworthiness.

Meanwhile, Dr. Campbell said he believes there is absolutely no way the truth surrounding the tragedy can be uncovered if Ministers Edghill and Indar remain in office. He said, “If these two ministers continue to sit in office, those who work, their subordinates will be afraid to speak about the truth. We met with employees of Transports and Harbors who told us that they were told that they are not to speak to you. They are not to speak to the press…They are not to speak to us. So, we cannot get a proper investigation for as long as those two ministers remain in place.”

Dr. Campbell reiterated that Guyana follows the Westminster system of democracy and that when a disaster occurs, the responsible minister should demonstrate accountability by resigning. “You move off because you accept responsibility and accountability for what is taking place because it has occurred on your watch and we need to move Guyana back to that place. It cannot be that incidents take place and it remains that nobody is taking accountability.”

APNU MP Sherod Duncan said the opposition believes the Irfaan Ali administration should first relieve Ministers Edghill and Indar of their portfolios. “This is a continuous process…we want justice for them, this is a continuous process using all of the tools in our arsenal as a parliamentary opposition as a combine opposition,” Duncan said.

The protest later moved into the National Assembly, where opposition MPs held placards calling for the ministers’ removal. Some MPs also displayed photographs of victims of the MV Barima tragedy.

Speaker of the National Assembly Manzoor Nadir was forced to briefly suspend the sitting amid loud and relentless chants demanding that Ministers Edghill and Indar resign. Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips was greeted by protests as he entered the chamber, while Minister Edghill briefly exited the dome before returning, appearing unbothered by the opposition’s demonstration.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, SC, and Prime Minister Phillips were met with protests as they addressed the House on the MV Barima tragedy, with opposition MPs surrounding the podium while continuing their chants.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition Azruddin Mohamed insisted that it should not have been business as usual in the National Assembly. He noted that given how recent the tragedy was, he expected the sitting to be postponed. Instead, he said, he observed ministers with grins on their faces in response to the opposition protest.

He state that in the face of such a tragedy, the PPP administration proceeded with the parliamentary sitting to seek approval for billions of dollars in supplementary spending and pass additional bills. The Opposition Leader further said, “Money is everything for the PPP. They don’t care about lives. They don’t care about the poor people of this country. They came for that money, about five or six bills. They speed through the bills with lightning speed because of the noise, we weren’t paying attention.”

Before entering the chamber, Mohamed had told Kaieteur News, “Today’s sitting won’t go on because we won’t sit and allow this wicked and deceitful and treacherous administration to trample on the rights of our brothers and sisters in this country. Over 100 families affected. Over 100 families affected. They lost loved ones, newborn babies as young as one month old.”

“We will stand in there and we will continue to make noise for Edghill and Indar to resign. They must go. They must go. Because they are the ones that got to ensure that the vessel is of the standard. The MV Barima is the oldest vessel in this country, 87 years old. The journey is the longest journey. With the longest journey, you got to ensure your vessels are up to date,” he said.

Since the tragedy, questions have been raised about the vessel’s maintenance, seaworthiness, regulatory oversight, the passenger manifest and whether it was overloaded with passengers and cargo. While survivors and relatives of victims have alleged that the vessel was overloaded, government authorities have denied those claims.

The incident has fuelled mounting calls for the resignation or dismissal of the ministers, particularly Edghill, while an independent investigation is conducted. Supporters have also pointed to examples from other countries where senior government officials stepped down following major maritime disasters, accepting ministerial responsibility even before investigations had concluded.

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• Edghill, Indar, MV Barima tragedy, Parliament, protest

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