“We will follow you wherever you go” – opposition vows to beef up protests against government

Aug 08, 2026 News

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By Shermon Hawker

(Kaieteur News) – President Irfaan Ali was on Friday greeted by scores of opposition demonstrators at Hopetown, West Coast Berbice, as calls intensified for the immediate resignation or removal primarily of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill, and also Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar.

The two ministers share oversight for the maritime sector, and against this backdrop, opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) have been demanding that they step down in the wake of the MV Barima incident of July 18 that left 73 Guyanese dead.

Friday’s protest was spearheaded by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU). In keeping with its resolve to heap pressure on the government, APNU and We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) MPs and officials travelled to Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to picket in reaction to the president and his team’s presence at the Hopetown Primary School, which formed part of a series of public consultations for his Model Village Initiative.

While the president and several members of his cabinet were inside the building, chants of “Who must go? Edghill and Indar!” echoed from outside, led by Opposition MP Saiku Andrews.

Leader of the People’s National Congress, Aubrey Norton, posited that the Ali-led administration is fraught with corrupt officials more keen on preserving their exclusive interests, but who would only tackle corruption resolutely when it pertains to anyone outside of the government.

“When we look at the Barima, Edghill should have been fired before. Edghill has shown from the inception that he is incompetent.”

The politician reasoned that the administration is using the public consultation exercises to divert attention from a much bigger national issue.

“We have got to watch what they are doing. I don’t think it’s by accident that they started talking about going into villages. They are seeking to distract from the key issue: the MV Barima,” he told the group of demonstrators on Friday.

He referenced the president’s mega-farm scandal, which he noted has, to some degree, been overshadowed by the unfolding boat tragedy, contending that the president may well be relieved that much of the focus has been removed from that issue, which had created a stir.

“It is something we have to get back to. But I say to you, there will be more (scandal). This government is so incompetent, it moves from scandal to scandal. Today is MV Barima, tomorrow is going to be something else.”

There has been an outcry for the release of Captain Kevin Price, 40, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts, 42, and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson, 33, who were jointly charged with multiple counts of murder last week.

Norton restated his party’s position that the charges were brought against the men to silence them while the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) proceeds.

With regard to the presence of army ranks, Norton highlighted that the law does not permit the government to deploy the army “at their whims and fancies,” adding that the law provides for the use of the army for such purposes where it is certain that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) is incapable of handling civil matters.

This, he pointed out, should be activated subsequent to the declaration of a state of emergency. He regarded Friday’s arrival of armed soldiers as a “misuse of the Guyana Defense Force.”

APNU MP Dr. David Hinds mirrored these sentiments and reminded the armed officers that what they were witnessing was simply the enactment of citizens’ right to peaceful protest.

“When you bring the soldiers out, it is a declaring war against your own citizens. We are not a violent people, but we stand firm. When we come out to these protests, what we are saying to Guyanese people is that you have to stand up,” Hinds emphasised.

The legislator stated firmly that the party is undeterred and, in a direct message, informed the president and cabinet that there will be no scaling back of demonstrations.

“We want to say to the government, yuh ain’t see nothing yet. Everywhere you go, we are going to follow you, because we have dignity on our side…”

Dr. Hinds branded the public works minister as unfit for the office he occupies, noting that his lack of dignity was the foremost element that disqualified him. Adding to the growing voices calling for the minister’s removal, Hinds asserted:

“Edghill must go. And we are firm on that….when a man is going to watch (over a) hundred people die and the first thing he does is lie, it shows that he is a man without dignity.”

Also leading the demonstration was Dr. Terrence Campbell, who decried what he deemed an unwarranted deployment of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF).

“Imagine, at every single outreach now, that the president and the vice president have, we are seeing the soldiers coming out. Imagine, the president and the vice president, they are not willing to meet with the people without protection by the army. Why is it that they need to bring out the army just for a simple outreach? This government is afraid. They understand the wickedness that they have done, and they are now weaponising armed forces against the people. There is absolutely no reason. We are all gathered here peacefully.”

Police were also strategically positioned at the location, along with barricades at various entrance and exit points.

Protests have been coordinated on a united front by all the opposition parties, and Friday’s demonstration against the president gained momentum from a massive and extensive protest mounted against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, as he and other government officials visited the town of Linden for an official outreach.

The APNU team noted that it sought an audience with the president and maintained that it stands in support of the families affected by the MV Barima tragedy.

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• Guyana Police Force, Hopetown Primary School, MV Barima, opposition, Protests

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