HGP Nightly News – Attorney General Anil Nandlall has rejected suggestions that the government’s community outreaches are being used to divert public attention from the MV Barima tragedy.
Speaking on Issues in the News, Nandlall was responding to a Kiskadee Watch report which raised questions about the timing of government engagements being held across the country following the July 18 disaster.
Nandlall said outreaches were a longstanding feature of the PPP/C’s work and had not been introduced in response to the sinking.
“Outreaches, whether as a collective or by individual ministers, are a permanent feature of our work as a government and as a political party,” he said.
He pointed to Cabinet outreaches conducted in Region Six in November 2025, Region Three in December 2025 and Region Seven in June 2026. Those engagements all preceded the MV Barima tragedy.
Nandlall also traced the practice to the administration of former President and PPP founder Dr Cheddi Jagan.
“Cabinet outreaches have been part of Cheddi Jagan’s Cabinet since 1992, and it has never stopped,” he stated.
According to the Attorney General, the exercises generally involve ministers, Members of Parliament and senior officials visiting communities to hear residents’ concerns and provide information about government programmes.
Criticism of the recent engagements has emerged amid continuing public debate over the government’s response to the MV Barima disaster.
Opposition parties and other groups have argued that the administration should give greater attention to questions of accountability, maritime oversight and support for affected families. Protests have also been held at some government meetings.
The government has maintained that the Commission of Inquiry and criminal investigation are addressing those issues and that other state programmes must continue simultaneously.
The MV Barima capsized while travelling from Georgetown to Port Kaituma. Government figures indicate that approximately 179 passengers and crew members were aboard, although only 133 people were reportedly recorded on the original manifest.
Seventy-three people were confirmed dead, 76 were rescued and approximately 30 remained unaccounted for.
A Commission of Inquiry has been established to examine the vessel’s condition and maintenance, passenger and cargo management, safety equipment, regulatory oversight and the search-and-recovery response.
A separate criminal case is proceeding against Captain Kevin Price, Chief Mate Rondell Dwayne Roberts and Goods Superintendent Delon Granderson. They have been charged with murder, but the allegations remain unproven and the men are presumed innocent unless convicted.
Nandlall said the existence of outreach activities before the tragedy contradicts the suggestion that the programme was created as a distraction.
The broader debate, however, concerns whether the timing and prominence of recent government engagements are appropriate while investigations continue and affected families await further answers.
