APNU+AFC agents commandeer Aquatic Centre, hostile to media

May 08, 2020 News

The National Recount of votes kicked off its second day yesterday with agents of the governing coalition, A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC), taking over the National Aquatic Centre at Liliendaal, and showing hostility to media operatives who attempted to make use of the centre.

The National Aquatic Centre is located across the Liliendaal road, adjacent to the Arthur Chung Conference Centre

The members of the media, raising issues with the way they have been treated by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), managed to get several concessions from the electoral body for the National Recount at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre. GECOM, moreover, decided to facilitate the setting up of tents for the press complete with chairs, food, charging stations and light bulbs. However, media operatives did not have access to washroom facilities as they camped out on the lawns of the recount venue for more than 12 hours a day.
On the first day, GECOM’s Public Relations Officer, Yolanda Ward, had told reporters that arrangements were made for media operatives to use the washroom facilities at the Aquatic Centre, as long as they showed their badges to the security.
Yesterday, two reporters went to the centre in the afternoon to use the facilities and were met by APNU+AFC agents accredited to observe the recount. Those agents, angry that media operatives wanted to use the facilities, aggressively insisted that they were not allowed to. The reporters pushed ahead anyway and used the facilities.
Another reporter followed shortly after and was met with similar aggression. He was told that GECOM cannot give permission for reporters to use the facility because GECOM does not own it. The agents said that GECOM has to provide alternative washroom facilities for the media operatives.
But not wanting a conflict to escalate, the reporter left and used the washroom facility at the Giftland Mall instead. Giftland’s owner, Roy Beepat, has made the facilities at the mall accessible to media operatives during their coverage of the National Recount.
Media operatives sounded their frustration on social media, not understanding why agents of a political party would commandeer and restrict the use of public facilities at the Aquatic Centre.
Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, who was camped outside of the Aquatic Centre learnt of the incident at some point and approached the media tent. He said that there was no arrangement between GECOM and the Centre, but that the media could use the facilities if they wanted. Guyana Press Association (GPA) President, Nazima Raghubir, argued that, no matter the situation, the hostility and disrespect for media operatives is unwarranted.
Meanwhile, the political agents at the Aquatic Centre fabricated a story on social media in an attempt to excuse their aggressive behaviour. One of them told the reading public that one of the reporters soiled the toilets in the morning, leaving it with a stench. That reporter had not even arrived to provide coverage of the recount until noon. Raghubir gave credence to this by ascertaining that that no media operative had used the facilities in the morning.
Another party operative later approached the media tent, stating that he has instructed the aggressors to cease their behaviour. Even though he said this, he would later go on to tell reporters that they should also tell the public the agents gave the media toilet paper. Reporters had no idea what he was talking about.
Kaieteur News has informed Ward about these developments.

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