HGP Nightly News – Nearly two months after the MV Barima disaster and more than six weeks after the Commission of Inquiry was established and sworn in, there is still no announced date for the public hearings into the tragedy.
President Irfaan Ali was asked directly about the matter at his press conference on Monday but stopped short of giving a date, saying only that work on the inquiry had already begun.
“I know work has started. There [is] a lot of work that is going on,” Ali said, while promising to provide a fuller update on the Commission’s progress.
The uncertainty comes with the Commission’s original two-month reporting deadline fast approaching. The body was formally constituted on July 30 and was initially given two months to complete and submit its report, unless the President directs otherwise.
Ali said he had received an update on the Commission’s work but had inadvertently left the information in his vehicle before entering the press conference.
He also indicated that he wants the Commission to have a senior official responsible for keeping the public and media informed, with what he described as a “constant flow of information” on the inquiry.
For families affected by the July 18 disaster, however, the question of when the Commission will begin publicly hearing evidence remains unanswered.
The issue is unfolding alongside a separate effort to recover the sunken MV Barima.
Three bids have reportedly been submitted for the salvage operation, but when questioned about the status of the evaluation and how long the process could take, Ali said he had not received a comprehensive briefing.
The President said he would seek an update and have information on the procurement process provided to the media and made public.
In the meantime, Government assistance to those affected by the tragedy is continuing.
Ali said G$122.35 million has so far been distributed through the Government’s HEART Initiative to families of those who died, survivors and families of people who remain missing.
He said the national registry of affected persons and the needs assessment are both 99 per cent complete, while psychological, housing, educational, legal and livelihood support remains ongoing.
The assistance comes as the country continues to await a public accounting of what led to the disaster, which claimed dozens of lives and left others missing.
