HGP Nightly News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed says the opposition is considering a no-confidence motion against Public Works Minister Juan Edghill over the MV Barima disaster, as pressure builds for political accountability alongside the criminal investigation.
Mohamed clarified that the proposed motion would target the minister rather than the entire government.
“Yes, the minister first,” he said when questioned about the planned parliamentary action.
He indicated that the opposition was waiting to see what steps the government would take before deciding how to proceed. The terms and timing of any motion have not yet been announced.
Mohamed was speaking while opposition representatives, including WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus and members of the Vigilant Political Action Committee, prepared to hold a joint press conference on the tragedy.
He said the opposition intended to pursue the issue in Parliament but complained that sittings were too infrequent to address urgent national matters effectively.
According to Mohamed, the limited parliamentary schedule had forced him to spend more time visiting communities and engaging citizens directly.
“You just can’t wait on four or five sittings a year,” he said. “We have to empower and fight for the rights of the people of this country.”
Mohamed also said some citizens had been urging the opposition to organise peaceful protests. He did not announce a date or specific plan but suggested that public demonstrations remained under consideration.
The Opposition Leader maintained that the MV Barima tragedy must take priority because lives had been lost. He nevertheless said his earlier questions surrounding President Irfaan Ali’s farming enterprise had not been abandoned.
“We haven’t forgotten about the farm,” he said. “But this is more important because lives were lost.”
Mohamed also commented on the detention of the vessel’s captain and a Transport and Harbours Department loading superintendent as part of the police investigation.
He urged those detained to obtain legal representation, cooperate with investigators and tell the truth about any instructions they received before the vessel departed.
If senior officials contacted them about the loading of passengers or cargo, Mohamed said, they should preserve and disclose any supporting call logs or messages.
“They just can’t sit back and get all the blame,” he argued, alleging that more senior figures may have been involved in decisions surrounding the cargo.
No evidence was presented during his remarks to establish that a minister or other senior government official ordered staff to bypass loading procedures. The claim remains an allegation that investigators would have to test against telephone records, messages, witness statements and official documents.
Public Works Minister Edghill has said state agencies were required to follow the same Transport and Harbours rules as private customers. He also maintained that it was too early to determine whether any detained individual had committed an offence.
Police are examining who authorised the passengers and cargo aboard the MV Barima, why numerous travellers did not appear on the official manifest and whether everything loaded was properly weighed and recorded.
Mohamed said political responsibility should not end with lower-level employees if evidence shows that decisions were influenced from above.
