Jagdeo bars Kaieteur News from asking questions at press conference

Oct 21, 2016 News

… Allows his newspaper to dominate
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, hosted a press conference at Freedom House yesterday and spoke for just over an hour before he fielded his first question. Yet he limited questions from Kaieteur News reporters.

Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

The first question he accepted was posed by a reporter attached to the newspaper he owns with his best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Jagdeo entertained two questions from that reporter.
The moderator, Zulfikar Mustapha then asked if any other reporter wished to pose further questions. The two reporters representing Kaieteur News at the press conference simultaneously indicated, by raised hands, that they wished to question the Opposition Leader.
The two were the only reporters in the room who indicated, at that time, their interest to pose questions so Jagdeo allowed one of the reporters to ask questions.
When that reporter finished, the other Kaieteur News representative attempted to pose questions to Jagdeo after receiving permission to do so by the moderator. However, Jagdeo said, “No, no, no, you cannot ask any question. Your colleague already asked questions.”
He then asked if any other reporter wished to take the floor. After taking questions from one other media house, Jagdeo again allowed the reporter from his newspaper to ask further questions. This occurred even with objections from the Kaieteur News reporter who was deprived of asking questions.
At that stage the reporter simply walked out.
The reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how could he criticize the government for not offering an increase in salary for workers of a dying sugar industry knowing that his investment in an almost useless Skeldon plant was one of the major wounds inflicted on the industry.
The reporter wanted Jagdeo to explain why he is so obsessed with Glenn Lall, the Kaieteur News Publisher, to the point where his only concern about the broadcasting sector, based on his opening statement, is that Lall seems aggrieved that he has not yet been granted a radio licence. Jagdeo totally ignored the fact that the Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is under investigations for corruption.
The discord on that Board and the stalled progress were of no interest to Jagdeo. The reporter wanted to know how Jagdeo has no concern about the fact that the Board has done nothing to improve the broadcast sector since its appointment.
The reporter also wanted Jagdeo to speak about the wealth he has accumulated during his political career and has stored in an overseas account.
Also, the reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how is it that he can criticize this government about corrupt deals when he supervised some of the most corrupt projects and negotiated the most questionable deals during his presidential tenure.
Those questions remain unanswered.

4 thoughts on “Jagdeo bars Kaieteur News from asking questions at press conference”

RLSG October 21, 2016 at 8:50 am

Wow .. Jagdeo is still acting like a third rated dictator from a banana republic. Why don’t these members of the press just boycott his stupid press conference since like an empty vessel he does not have anything of interest to say ? If there are no members of the press he cannot have a press conference don’t they know that ? Oh but I digress his own minions from his press establishments will be there ! Do not attend his press conferences because who cares what this idiot has to say about anything ??
1. rs dasai October 21, 2016 at 10:35 am
  
  RG
  We can say all we want, but Dr. Jagdeo is still the ‘Main Attraction’
Surujpaul Rampersaud October 21, 2016 at 11:17 am

The freedom of the press is sacrosanct in any democracy and political leaders should seek to answer questions from the press no matter the views of the news house. At the same time the news men must have some professional responsibilities in reporting news in a balanced way. Personally I look for objective analysis of the news before I make a full assessment. My problem with the Guyanese daily is they all have axes to grind.
I am glad that Mr Jagdeo has acknowledged the PPP contribution to the demise of the sugar industry. There is no excuse for identifying a problem without taking corrective measures.
It was lucidly clear for a long time that the EEU would
discontinue to allow sugar into the market at subsidized prices. Instead of increasing yield, cutting production costs and/diversifying the industry we allowed things to slide.
The former government kept subsidizing the industry, the present government in the elections promised sugar workers the gold spoon knowing fully well that it could not deliver.
Sugar workers are being taken for a ride. My advice to them is to liberate themselves of political yokes and come up with workable solutions.
This goes for all business enterprises.
Kassee October 21, 2016 at 2:49 pm

He should have allowed the questions the reporter from this newspaper had, to be asked.In a democracy,questions must be asked and answered.