Opposition protesters storm Watooka House where VP Jagdeo is holding outreach

Last Updated on Tuesday, 4 August 2026, 14:25 by Denis Chabrol

Hundreds of opposition protesters on Tuesday stormed  Watooka House in Linden, demanding to see Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who is leading a ministerial outreach to the Region 10 capital town, to express outrage at government’s handling of the MV Barima ferry tragedy.

Backed by leader of the 16-seat main opposition We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Azruddin Mohamed and leader of the 12-seat A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Aubrey Norton, the protesters eventually ended up at the stairs to Watooka House. Mr Mohamed was seen at the head of a group of persons at the police barrier when a section of the crowd pushed it down and made their way closer to the building.

WIN General Secretary Odessa Primus remarked that, “We would like to meet with the Vice President. We are going to be quiet if he comes down stairs but he monkeying he self up deh. The police seh he coming to talk to us but he neva come. Why ya’ll lying to dee people?”.

Tuesday’s protest is the largest opposition-led action in recent years, apparently triggered by last month’s ferry MV Barima tragedy that unofficially claimed just over 100 lives. 76 others were rescued.

As the protesters maintained their presence, government’s Department of Public Information posted pictures up to 1:01 PM, showing the Vice President and other ministers holding meetings with residents inside Watooka House. It is not clear how long ago those pictures were taken before they were posted on the DPI’s Facebook page. On Mr Jagdeo’s Facebook page, he posted a video of former Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for Housing under the APNU+AFC government, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood, saying “development can be found in every corner of Linden since the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) took office in 2020”.

They kept up a sustained chant of “No retreat, no surrender,” and “Who must go? Edghill and Indar,” in reference to ministers Juan Edghill and Deodat Indar who share responsibility for Guyana’s maritime sector. They also called for the urgent salvaging of the MV Barima, amid opposition and other interest groups’ concerns that the extended procurement process for an experienced salvaging company that would preserve the forensic evidence for the Commission of Inquiry would take weeks or months “Bring up the evidence”, they also chanted.

WIN parliamentarian Tabitha Sarabo-Halley also led chants for the Region 10 Executive Officer to take steps to appoint a Regional Chairman. “We need a Chairman. Elect a Chairman now”. That region has been without a Chairman since the September 1 2025 general and regional elections due to a tie vote.

Mr Mohamed, who is also Guyana’s Opposition Leader, said “the people of Region 10 voted overwhelmingly for WIN and I must represent them and that’s why I am  here to ensure this dictatorship government reconvenes the meeting, instruct their lackey REO (Regional Executive Officer) so that we elect a Regional Chairman. This is the only region in the country without an REO,” he said. Mr Mohamed, a political newcomer and former ally of Mr Jagdeo’s governing People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC), warned that “there will be massive protests wherever they go.”

Mr Mohamed and his father, Nazar “Shell” Mohamed have had a public falling out with the PPPC almost immediately after they were sanctioned in June 2024 by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for allegedly smuggling more than 10,000 kilogrammes of gold and in so doing evading more than US$50 million in taxes payable to the Guyana government.

People’s National Congress Reform-led APNU parliamentarian, former Linden Mayor Sharma Solomon said from the picket line that the five-member MV Barima Inquiry Commission was skewed in favour of the PPPC-led administration. Speaking from the picket line, he said the government had a history of unilaterally appointed commissioners and deciding the terms of reference. “This COI is discredited from the get go. The justice that the families are looking for they will not get it as long as this government continues to railroad the public,” said Mr Solomon, a former Mayor of Linden and former Region 10 Chairman. Defending the public servants, three of whom were charged with the murder of 72 passengers and crew members, he said they should not be attacked and instead ministers Indar and Edghill should resign to allow for an impartial investigation. “You cannot attack the public servants and the people, who have given the public servants the boat, given the policies are still in tyat building making decisions and public servants are locked up in jail,” he added.

PNCR Leader Aubrey Norton said Tuesday’s protest action was inevitable because the government was not responding to the people’s concerns. “The government is totally responsible for what happened here,” said Mr Norton, who is a Lindener. He stressed the need for government to be accountable to Guyanese. He lent support for the immediate salvaging of the vessel. “The fact that the government is talking about a procurement system means they want to delay,” he said. Noting that the PPPC administration has a history of single-sourcing contracts, he said that on this occasion Guyanese would support that method to “float the boat.” It has to be done and done urgently,” he said.

Story written and pictures taken from monitoring Royston Drakes Productions’ Facebook page.