Opposition Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir has called for the establishment of a permanent independent Transportation Safety Investigation Board under Parliament to investigate aviation, maritime, road and bridge accidents.
Speaking at a joint press conference on Wednesday, Walton-Desir said such a board would preserve evidence and issue safety recommendations free from political interference.
She also urged the Government to immediately invoke the legally required marine safety investigation into the MV Barima tragedy.
The Government is moving to establish an independent Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the tragedy, with Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips describing it as a priority that will determine what led to the disaster, identify accountability and recommend measures to strengthen maritime safety.
Walton-Desir said the Government must clarify the legal mechanism being pursued, arguing that while a CoI may examine broader issues of public administration and accountability, it serves a different legal purpose and cannot substitute for the statutory marine safety investigation.
She noted that Guyana, as a signatory to the International Maritime Organization Casualty Investigation Code, is obligated to conduct the investigation.
Following the tragedy on Saturday, the Government announced that a multi-agency investigation had been launched into the disaster.
Walton-Desir called on the Government to publicly identify the authority conducting the investigation and the measures in place to ensure its independence, particularly since the ferry is state-owned.
