HGP Nightly News – President Irfaan Ali sidestepped direct questions about the employment status of the MV Barima management team and mounting calls for two government ministers to resign, repeatedly pointing to the Commission of Inquiry as the mechanism that should determine accountability.
During Tuesday’s press conference, Ali was asked whether the officials sent off duty following the disaster remained employed by the government. He was also pressed on demands for Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Minister Deodat Indar to resign or proceed on leave.
The President answered neither question directly.
Instead, Ali accused the reporter of failing to acknowledge that an independent inquiry had already been established to investigate the disaster.
“You did not acknowledge that we have an independent COI established to determine everything that you are speaking about,” Ali responded.
He said he would not participate in speculation or announce action that could prejudice the commission’s work.
“If we honestly and truly want an independent analysis, a transparent analysis, then the COI, having been established, provides that opportunity,” the President argued.
Ali said the commissioners would conduct their investigation, make findings and submit recommendations before he decides whether further action is required.
“The COI, having been established, will conduct its work, make its determination, its recommendation, and then we’ll take it from there,” he said.
Following the ferry’s capsizing, Prime Minister Mark Phillips announced that the management team responsible for its loading, dispatch and overall operation had been sent off duty to protect evidence and preserve the integrity of the investigation.
Ali did not clarify whether those officials remain off duty, have returned to their posts, were reassigned or continue to receive salaries.
The President similarly offered no direct response to continuing demands for Edghill and Indar to leave office while agencies under their political oversight are being investigated.
Opposition parties, relatives of victims and civil-society groups have argued that the ministers should resign or proceed on leave to protect the inquiry from possible interference and demonstrate political accountability.
The government has resisted those calls, maintaining that responsibility should be assigned only after investigators establish the facts.
Ali said the commission’s independence was “critical and important” and that its findings would guide his decisions.
“The work of the COI is the work that I will base my action on when their recommendation comes to me,” he declared.
The President said he would act before the inquiry concludes only where intervention is immediately necessary to protect public safety.
He pointed to a separate team established to inspect state-operated vessels, identify safety deficiencies and ensure urgent problems are corrected.
The five-member international commission is mandated to investigate the MV Barima’s condition, maintenance history and seaworthiness, together with its passenger and cargo operations, crew conduct and regulatory oversight.
It must also examine the government’s search, rescue and recovery response and determine whether negligence, misconduct, dereliction of duty or institutional failures contributed to the disaster.
Opposition parties and sections of civil society have questioned the inquiry’s independence because the President selected its members and established its terms of reference without consulting them.
The government maintains that the commissioners are independent specialists with the qualifications and experience required to conduct a credible investigation.
Ali has since announced that the commission is expected to begin its on-the-ground work in early September.
Until its findings are delivered, however, the employment status of the sidelined management officials remains publicly unclear—and the President has given no indication that the two ministers will be asked to step aside.
