Press Association elections

May 18, 2023 Editorial

Kaieteur News – Was it worth it? Though the highfliers in the PPPC Government that take issue with the Guyana Press Association (GPA) kept a not too remote distance from its recently concluded election, there could be no mistaking its fingerprints. The government’s prints carry certain conspicuous features about them, and really cannot be concealed. The question is accordingly addressed to those very visible and very audible members of this government that shows itself prone to all manner of misgivings, especially when there are such noticeably nervous feet.

Now, the GPA election is over, and hopefully the last word about it has been heard, with many lessons learned. The first is that members of the media in Guyana have their work to do, and they must be given the necessary freedoms to pursue their business in a professional, ethical manner. Every dissenting presence, every disagreeable report, every disturbing decision does not have to be taken as a pox on the government, with the result is that there are dogfights over issues large and small.

The second lesson is that it would have been better if the PPPC Government had focused upon the many high and current priorities of the State, and left the GPA to deliver. Or make a fool of itself relative to proven bias, poor work standards, and going beyond its mandate. The government, from the President and Vice President on down, should be secure in the ethics of its own work, and to let the facts attest to the credibility and integrity of ministers and supporting public officials, be they senior or junior. There can be no better proof about such, and this slinking away to unorthodox media to howl in anger against perceived local media workers must come to an end.

What the government succeeded in doing, through its agents and all their representations coming in for heavy judicial review, was to draw attention to its fears, its anxieties, and its Achilles heel, when there may (or ought to) be none. There was more than a failure of commonsense; what took centerstage were the pronounced frustrations of the PPPC-backed operators to have their way at all costs, in the continuing efforts afoot to shake any unwelcomed people and their positions, however professional such may be, out of existence. Now that it is firmly in control of the reins of power in Guyana, the PPPC Government does not come across as too overly concerned about adherence to the ideals of democratic government and what that constitutes anymore. But there are still some others remaining in this country, however limited in number they may be, to whom such ideals and their relevance matter.

The reality is that there has to be a press beyond the massive propaganda press that overwhelms the local press arena. It must be one that works diligently to register as non-partisan, no matter how much effort is made to stick partisan labels on them by a government that knows only one way: its way, and that of no other. And there must be an association (GPA) that stands up for its members, once the independent quality of their work withstands scrutiny. The precious oil and gas sector has to be watched like a falcon, for the simple reason that it means so much to the people of Guyana. Notwithstanding the sharpness of attitudes, and uncooperative attributes, of many in the PPPC Government, work must proceed with probity and soundness.

In view of this country’s political culture of chronic corruption, this also is an area that must be open to careful and consistent investigative probing. Once the PPPC Government conducts its duties in the appropriate manner, with all procedures properly followed, then it should be welcoming of members of the GPA (and any others), such should be the confidence that leaders and others in government place around the activities in which they have engaged. When there is all this sweating and huffing and puffing, then there are more than raised eyebrows. There is a rise in intensity about what could have been done wrong, and who is responsible. The press should be seen as a partner, the independent check and balance offered by a free and unfettered Fourth Estate.

Editorial, Government, Guyana Press Association (GPA), lessons, PPPC

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Press Association elections

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