PPP supporters intimidate journalists at President’s press conference           

Apr 02, 2023 News

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…GPA President says Govt. opening doors to attack on press

Kaieteur News – President Irfaan Ali on Friday called an urgent press conference at the Leonora Track and Field Centre, West Coast Demerara (WCD) where the government hosted a two-day outreach.

The invitation to the press was issued 13:30hrs (1:30 pm) for the 15:00hrs (3:00 pm) engagement. Due to the late notice, there were only five reporters at the event including one from the Guyana Chronicle, two from Kaieteur News, one from Stabroek News and another from the Department of Public Information (DPI).

There were several tents set up at the venue to address the concerns of citizens from the respective government agencies, including the Central Housing and Planning Authority, Ministry of Public Works and the Guyana Power and Light Inc.

Notably, the persons who were at the outreach joined the tent in which the President decided to host his media. This atmosphere was unwelcoming to members of the press who were subjected to heckling from the supporters of the ruling People’s Progressive Party (PPP) particularly when challenging questions were asked of the Head of State.

For instance, the first question asked by Kaieteur News relating to the oil and gas sector was

greeted by a loud “Oh lord” from one of the Party’s supporters. This can even be heard in the live Facebook broadcast.

The question was regarding the audit of oil major, ExxonMobil’s expenses. The President in response explained that he would address the subject at an appropriate time.

“And let me tell you something because I know the next three questions you will ask; the gas to shore project is going to be done, the gas to shore project is going to be completed in this Region and the cost of electricity will come down by 50 percent for all the people of this country,” the President told a Kaieteur News reporter.

The President’s response was welcomed with a round of applause by the crowd. Nevertheless, the Journalist asked another question of the President, amidst laughter from the gathering of PPP supporters.

Similarly, a question from another Kaieteur News reporter was heckled by the crowd, prompting the President to close off the press engagement.

In an invited comment, the Publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall said it was utterly disrespectful for the President to invite the media to a press conference at a venue flocked by his supporters in his home village.

Lall believes the Head of State had little intent on addressing the critical issues, but called an urgent press conference to promote the work of his government.

The GPA responds

President of the Guyana Press Association (GPA), Nazima Raghubir in an invited comment on Saturday strongly criticised the circumstances under which the President hosted the media.

She said, “It boggles my mind that we are back to this type of environment where I feel like if the President wanted to make a statement among his supporters he could have made the statement and invited the media to (cover) the statement. I don’t think that was the place for a press conference. Then again the powers that be would come out and say it’s their right to hold a press conference and what not and we have been saying that they are not holding press conferences.”

Raghubir noted that if the government and President in particular wish to engage the media it must be in an environment that is both conducive and professional. Contrary to that, she said what occurred at Leonora was a demonstration of no regard for the media.

“There is just a push to have this one-way conversation and it is embarrassing because the President started off his campaign in 2020 talking about accountability and transparency and to this date he is yet to have a Cabinet Secretary to host Post Cabinet Press Briefings to be held to that accountability and transparency standard,” the GPA President pointed out.

She added, “I am saying all of this because last week a letter appeared in Chronicle calling for the Guyana Press Association Elections, the same Guyana Press Association has not held elections in 2020 for the same reasons the PPP have not held Congress- it was COVID…I know that the GPA is accountable. At the end of the day, if the President is open to transparency and accountability, the relationship with the media has to improve.”

Addressing the mere hour and a half notice for the media to attend the press conference in Region Three, the Press Association President said it was “a slap in the face”.  She said the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, SC has been engaging in a similar practice where he hosts his weekly ‘Issues in the News’ show, and sends notices to the press to share questions for him to respond to on television.

“That is a slap in the face of the same transparency and accountability they [the government] claim to be flying high on,” Raghubir contended.

She pointed out that the PPP signed the Media Freedom Coalition and there are certain principles which the government ought to uphold; one of which is basic respect for the press.

The GPA President explained said that between 2015 and 2020 a similar situation unfolded under the former administration and the Press Association duly condemned it.

She said reporters were at Congress Place in the presence of the former President, David Granger and his supporters who heckled the media. “We condemned it then and we are condemning it now. No reporter should be heckled for asking questions and somebody sitting as high as the President who claims to have respect for members of the media should not have encouraged that. It opens reporters to a whole lot of disrespect,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Raghubir also deemed the President’s response to a question from this newspaper as hostile. In fact, the GPA President said these attitudes from politicians can open the door to possible attacks on the media by party supporters.

“That was a really hostile response and in an environment where people were already heckling, it could have possibly put Kaieteur News staff in danger and at risk and this is the same thing that I have maintained with these politicians over and over. They want to single out media people and media houses and if anything happens to those media workers at any one of their rallies, none of them are going to want to take responsibility,” she argued.

Raghubir pointed out that the Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton clearly has an issue with the Guyana Chronicle, while Vice President (VP) Bharrat Jagdeo is uncomfortable with Kaieteur News and more recently the Stabroek News, as during his last press conference the VP spent most of his time addressing an editorial published in the newspaper during his live broadcast.

Raghubir explained, “When you do that, you are riling up your supporters and somebody is going to pick up and single out the reporters on the road. This cannot continue to happen.”

The GPA President said both political parties prefer not to answer the tough questions, adding that this is now evident through their “hiding behind TV programmes and the friendly media programmes and their social media commentators’ interviews.”

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• Department of Public Information (DPI), Guyana Chronicle, Kaieteur News, Nazima Raghubir, Stabroek News

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