HGP Nightly News – Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed has welcomed the government’s move to seek a contractor to salvage the MV Barima, but says the decision came only after sustained public pressure and that the procurement timeline will prolong the suffering of families still awaiting their loved ones.
Mohamed described the announcement of an Expression of Interest as a victory for the victims’ relatives, the opposition and citizens who had demanded that the wreck be recovered.
“The government did not arrive at this decision on its own,” he claimed. “It came only after sustained pressure from the opposition, from the grieving families and from the Guyanese people.”
The government had previously indicated that the wreck might remain on the seabed because of the technical risks involved in raising it. French divers who examined the site reported strong currents, darkness, poor visibility and concerns about the vessel’s structural stability.
Mohamed argued, however, that the salvage process should have started much earlier. He said the MV Barima had been underwater for 16 days by the time of his statement, while the Expression of Interest would remain open for another two weeks.
By the time submissions close, he noted, one month would have passed since the disaster.
“This should have happened two weeks ago,” Mohamed said, contending that every additional day reduces the possibility of recovering victims’ remains and increases the risk that evidence will deteriorate.
He accused the government of treating an extraordinary national tragedy as an ordinary procurement exercise, arguing that emergency circumstances demanded a faster response.
“When lives are lost and families are waiting for answers, you do not move at the pace of ordinary procurement,” he said. “You act with urgency.”
Mohamed referred to President Irfaan Ali’s previous disclosure that proposals had been received to recover the vessel. He also repeated his offer to assist with—or personally facilitate—the salvage operation, claiming that the government had not engaged him on the proposal.
The Opposition Leader insisted that whichever company is selected must attempt to recover the vessel as intact as technically possible. Raising it in pieces, he warned, could destroy material relevant to the Commission of Inquiry and any related investigation.
“The recovery must protect the vessel, its contents and any evidence on board,” he said.
He also demanded full transparency in the procurement process, including the public disclosure of every company submitting an expression of interest, its relevant experience and the criteria used to select the successful contractor.
Mohamed warned that the contract should not be awarded to an inexperienced or politically connected bidder. No evidence was presented in his statement that the current procurement process had been improperly influenced.
The Opposition Leader said his party would continue supporting affected families and pressing for Public Works Minister Juan Edghill’s resignation.
“The decision to raise the MV Barima is the right one,” Mohamed said. “The delay is not.”
