HEAR me out! The MV Barima tragedy is way too serious for political games and foolery. There is a time and place for everything. It is not the time for partisan politics, but the time for truth-finding and introspection.
Frankly speaking, as an objective commentator watching closely the developments surrounding the Commission of Inquiry into the MV Barima tragedy, I believe that the commission deserves the full support of every Guyanese who genuinely wants answers.
The Government of Guyana was right to establish the commission. Now the commission must be allowed to do what it was established to do and that is find the truth.
The sinking of the MV Barima was not an ordinary incident. Lives were lost and families were devastated. Survivors were traumatised and communities shaken. The nation was left asking how a tragedy of this magnitude could have occurred and whether it could have been prevented.
Those questions cannot be answered through Facebook posts, political press conferences or partisan accusations. They must be answered through evidence. This is why the Commission of Inquiry matters.
The commission, chaired by Justice Godfrey P. Smith, has already begun the necessary preparatory work ahead of the formal commencement of its hearings. Commissioners have been engaging families and survivors, visiting affected communities and examining aspects of the maritime operations connected to the tragedy.
This preliminary work should not be dismissed or undermined. It is part of the process.
The formal hearings will provide the opportunity for witnesses to come forward, documents to be examined, evidence to be tested and competing accounts to be scrutinised. This is where I believe every responsible Guyanese should take a firm position and let the commission do its work, follow every credible lead, call whoever needs to be called, examine whatever needs to be examined and let them question government officials, maritime authorities, crew members, survivors, families, operators and anyone else who may possess information relevant to the tragedy.
They must be allowed to reach their conclusions without fear or favour because I think this tragedy is too painful and too important to become another political football.
That is why the efforts by WIN and APNU to challenge, interfere with or politically frustrate aspects of the commission’s work deserve serious scrutiny.
Opposition parties have every right to criticise the government, but there is a fundamental difference between demanding accountability and attempting to control the mechanism through which accountability is being pursued.
If the opposition believes that the government has questions to answer, then let those questions be placed before the commission.
I think there is also a troubling question that deserves to be asked: why would anyone want to obstruct or discourage survivors and grieving families from giving evidence before the commission? There could be several political reasons.
First, survivors may provide accounts that complicate or contradict political narratives already being promoted.
Second, their testimonies could reveal failures that cannot conveniently be blamed on one political side or another.
Third, direct testimony could shift the national discussion away from political rhetoric and towards hard evidence.
Fourth, survivors or relatives may contradict statements already made publicly by politicians, officials or other interested persons.
Fifth, an independent inquiry could ultimately expose failures or make recommendations that are politically uncomfortable for more than one party.
But none of these possibilities should matter more than the truth. Survivors are not political ammunition and the bereaved families are not campaign material. Their pain must never be exploited for political mileage.
Truth does not belong to the PPP. Truth does not belong to APNU. Truth does not belong to WIN. Truth belongs to Guyana.
The government deserves credit for establishing the commission and providing the framework for a formal investigation. But government cannot determine the outcome of an independent inquiry. The commissioners must do that through the evidence placed before them.
That distinction is important.
The PPP government should therefore continue to give the commission the resources and institutional support it requires, while resisting any temptation to influence its conclusions.
The opposition, meanwhile, should stop looking at the tragedy through the narrow lens of political advantage.
If WIN and APNU genuinely want justice for the victims, then they should encourage their supporters, witnesses and anyone with relevant information to co-operate fully.
Guyana has had too many national tragedies, followed by years of speculation, accusation and political finger-pointing.
We cannot allow the Barima tragedy to become another unresolved chapter in our national history.
That is why this commission is good for Guyana. It is good for justice because justice requires facts and good for accountability because accountability requires evidence.
It is good for the families because they deserve answers and it is good for the future because the most meaningful tribute Guyana can give those who lost their lives aboard the MV Barima is to learn every possible lesson from the tragedy. When the work is finished, let the truth, whatever that truth may be, speak for itself.
Guyana deserves nothing less.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.