Jagdeo’s attitude towards Kaieteur News not consistent with standards expected of public officials

Aug 09, 2024 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

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Kaieteur News – It is my belief that Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo’s displayed crass arrogance and contempt towards reporters from Kaieteur News at yesterday’s press conference. In so doing, I believe that his actions revealed the deep-seated hostility he harbours towards this newspaper and its publisher. This is my considered opinion.

It is hard to come to any other conclusion than that if one considers his general attitude towards the Kaieteur News. His dismissive attitude, marked by rustling through papers and avoiding direct eye contact when fielding questions from this newspaper’s reporters was not just a sign of disrespect towards the reporters, it was an affront to the standards one expects of public officials.

I believe that the Vice President’s contemptuous attitude is not just an affront to Kaieteur News but to the entire journalistic community in Guyana, which plays a critical role in holding the government accountable. If that is how he is going to act towards this newspaper and considering his strong criticisms of Stabroek News, one is left with the impression that the PPP/C government feels that it is under siege from a hostile media. But perhaps, the government needs to entertain another option: that it is failing to see its own faults and shortcomings.

Instead of engaging with the reporters’ questions with the seriousness they deserved, Jagdeo chose to shuffle through his papers—a clear indication, in my opinion, of his disregard for the inquiries being made. This act alone should have been a red flag for the Kaieteur News’ reporters, signaling that any attempt to seek meaningful responses from the Vice President would be met with condescension and evasion. They should have aborted their questions and left immediately, never to go back.

When questioned about the update on the country’s oil reserves, Jagdeo’s response was nothing short of dismissive. It was obvious that he had seen the data related to the updated reserves. But despite this, he chose to deflect the question, directing the reporter to ask the Minister next week about the updated reserves. This evasive manoeuvre is emblematic of a larger pattern where Jagdeo consistently sidesteps straightforward questions, particularly when they pertain to the management of Guyana’s oil resources and especially when these questions emanate from Kaieteur News.

Jagdeo’s refusal to provide the updated figure, despite clearly having need the report about the reserves is disgusting to say the least. His claim that there was no significant change in the reserves, while not providing the actual numbers, raises serious questions about his attitude towards interrogation from the media.

If there has been no significant increase in the reserves, why not give the updated numbers? This calculated vagueness is an insult to the intelligence of the media present at that press conference and they should not tolerate it any longer.

The Vice President was asked also whether his government would make public the field development plans of the four projects approved under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration. Instead of providing a straightforward ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, Jagdeo chose to mock the reporter’s inquiry by questioning whether the reporter or the publisher of this newspaper had the ability to dissect the technical jargon of the field development plans.

Jagdeo’s insinuation that neither the reporter nor Glenn Lall, the publisher of Kaieteur News, would understand the field development plans appear to be a smokescreen meant to divert attention from the real issue: the government’s reluctance to be more transparent about the details of these oil projects. His assertion that these are highly technical documents, which even he struggles to understand, was an embarrassing admission for someone who oversees the critical oil and gas sector. One can only hope that his condescending tone does not imply that the alleged technical complexity of these documents justifies keeping them out of the public domain. This would be a dangerous precedent for a country that is still grappling with the implications of its newfound oil wealth.

His seeming reluctance to engage with questions about oil reserves and field development plans suggests that there may be uncomfortable truths that the government would prefer to be the subject of press inquiries. If, as is claimed, the field development plans are highly technical documents, it begs the question: who in the government is truly equipped to oversee these complex projects? The implication that such documents may be beyond the grasp of even the highest officials is a troubling sign that the government may not have the expertise required to negotiate and manage these major field development plans.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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• consistent, hostility, opinion, public officials, reporters

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