Flush from the decapitation of the Venezuelan regime by the capture of President Nicholas Maduro in a slick, midnight, military raid on Maduro’s residence in Caracas, in which 32 Cubans who were defending Maduro were killed, the US Government felt a similar strategy in Iran, but killing not capturing its leadership, would succeed. Almost simultaneously, it adopted another strategy, economic strangulation, with similar objectives, in Cuba. The Iranian economy is in dire straits, but its successful resistance has resulted in a stalemate, but with Iran exercising dominance. The Cuban economy has been spectacularly degraded by the blockade, which now includes oil, and there is talk about how long the Cuban Government can hold out in the absence of fuel. But Cuba, like Iran but unlike Venezuela, has not succumbed.

Compensation for the victims of the MV Barima is already being discussed and figures are being mentioned. In principle, persons who are injured or suffer loss of life or property by the wrongful act of another, who has a duty to take care, is legally entitled to compensation. Many factors are required to be taken into account in calculating the amount of compensation. For example, a person who loses a cycle is not entitled to the same as a person who loses car. While no amount can compensate for the loss of a life, legal principles have emerged that allow a working person aged 40 to be awarded more than a person in  comparable employment aged 60. A wide variety of circumstances are taken into consideration. Thus, a non-working person may have his/her potential earnings from employment taken into consideration. A housewife may have her domestic work valued. Therefore, a fixed sum for everyone may be fair to some, may overcompensate some and may undercompensate others.

The sinking of the MV Barima remains one of the most heartbreaking tragedies in Guyana’s history. Beyond the statistics of lives lost in the disaster, there is the enduring pain of those families whose loved ones have not yet been recovered, some of whom may still remain inside the sunken vessel. Considerations of the financial cost or engineering difficulty should not be considerations that affect the decision. Raising the vessel is a moral obligation owed to the relatives of those who perished and may still be in the wreck.