Latest update February 11th, 2025 4:18 AM
Media plays an important role in voter education – Canadian High Commissioner
Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. Nicole Giles
By Latoya Giles
According to Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Dr. Nicole Giles, the media plays a major role in educating voters about the fundamentals of free and fair elections, the right to cast a secret ballot and not to be subjected to undue influence or pressure in relation to casting votes.
The High Commissioner was at the time speaking to local journalists at the closing ceremony for a two-day workshop on Sunday last, on how to report on Local Government Elections. The workshop attracted reporters from Kaieteur News, Stabroek News, Capitol News and Prime News. The State-owned media entities were reportedly invited, but opted not to attend.
The workshop was made possible through a collaborative effort between the Government of Canada, via the Post Initiative Fund (PIF), and the Guyana Press Association. According to Dr. Giles, the objective of the workshop was to reinforce the critical role that the media plays in reinforcing democracy, particularly during electoral processes.
“Democracies are built upon four pillars – legislative, executive, judiciary and media – as when building a house, each of the four pillars needs to be equally strong and operate independently. If one pillar is weaker, shorter or cannot stand alone, the entire democratic structure is compromised.”
The envoy emphasised that as reporters carry out their duties, they will undoubtedly face challenges in the discharge of various functions, but by using democratic principles as a compass, those challenges can be resolved and viable solutions arrived at.
She said too, that upholding democratic principles in any country is a continuous process that requires persistent investments in capacity-building for the four democratic institutions.
“Capacity is often put to the test during electoral processes, which is exactly when democracies depend upon the four pillars to provide free, fair and peaceful elections,” Giles told the gathering.
The High Commissioner also noted that the media has played a critical role in conveying information to voters throughout the entirely of the elections cycle.
“Voter education and conflict resolution are just a few examples of the essential components of the electoral process that are reliant on the media to create awareness and provide impartial, timely information.”
She went on to explain that the media is also obligated to relay to voters the importance of their participation in the electoral process, reminding them of the significant function of each vote cast.
“Each ballot cast not only tells political parties about the services that voters want delivered, but more fundamentally, provides direction for the development of the country,” the High Commissioner posited.
Further, she asserted that the media also plays a role in educating voters about the fundamentals of free and fair elections, such as the right to cast a secret ballot and to not be subject to undue influence or pressure in casting your vote.
“The media also plays an equally significant role in providing a platform for all candidates and their political parties to present their manifestos and positions to the citizenry, and to facilitate feedback from the public to its political representatives in an organized and constructive manner.”
The High Commissioner said too that reporters and media associations, such as the Guyana Press Association, serve as crucial vehicles in delivering voter education through the provision of timely, unbiased and accurate reporting.
Additionally, with the increasing expansion and integration of new forms of media into the media mainstream, Giles said that it was imperative that citizens are consistently served with reliable and balanced news.
“I encourage you to always uphold the canons of responsible journalism and practice the principles of self-regulation in the performance of your duties. In order to ensure that the fourth estate, the media pillar of democracy remains strong, journalists have an obligation to ensure that they do not falter on compliance with professional ethics and standards, competency, impartiality and their integrity,” Giles noted.
All of the western embassies and several other agencies here in Guyana, have been calling for Local Government Elections, but these calls have to date proven to be exercises in futility.
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