Parliament opened Monday under a cloud of grief, anger and open defiance as the Joint Opposition staged a dramatic protest inside and outside the National Assembly, declaring there could be ‘no business as usual’ while dozens of families continue to mourn the victims of the MV Barima disaster and demand accountability.

In one of the most forceful parliamentary protests in recent years, Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) abandoned convention and transformed the opening of the sitting at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre into a public demonstration against the Government’s handling of the July 18 maritime catastrophe.

Dressed entirely in black—a colour of mourning in Guyana—the parliamentarians gathered outside the Centre carrying placards demanding the resignation of Public Works Minister Juan Edghill and Minister within the Ministry of Public Works Deodat Indar.