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Expanding the media and information blackout
Editorial…
Kaieteur News- President Irfaan Ali, just over a week ago, was busying himself talking about expanding the media here, but has ignored one critical element- that of his administration’s virtual information blackout.
Close to eight months before he completes five years in office, the much-cherished and promised post-cabinet media briefing has not been held for once. The Office of the Commissioner of Information is in a coma, and he has skillfully dodged sitting down to have real press conferences with reporters.
His Vice President, Bharrat, who seems to have taken on the role of chief spokesman for the government, has cleverly kept his weekly briefings at the party’s headquarters- Freedom House- so that he can have the ready disclaimer that the forum is not a government media conference, but rather that of the party, even though he answers any and every question about government business, and the state media entities are all summoned- even the Department of Public Information that refers to him as general secretary of the PPP.
At the state-sponsored World Press Freedom Day brunch, where he announced expanding the media, the President also said that his government is accessible at all times.
This national leader cannot be on the same planet as us. He needs to come down to earth, face the truth, and cease with this embarrassing defence of government media accessibility, its openness. He and his government must be of complete frankness about things that all Guyanese need to know. This hiding and hedging by the PPPC Government must halt. Over four years and no cabinet media briefings. We think that the President can count as well as most Guyanese, so there should be no place for these tricky games that he plays. It is not whatever he says it is, but what the facts of the record point to, what shreds his rather futile claim, his weak defence.
What we speak of are post-cabinet media briefings. There has been none for almost five years now. Surely, the President must know that, and is familiar with a situation that does not speak well of either his leadership or his government. What is the PPPC Government afraid of, and what are its leaders going to great lengths to conceal?
Oil is the talk of the town, and, indeed, it can be said that Guyana is the fascination of the world, and features highly in conversations of the entire investment community. Oil has to be among the biggest things, if not the biggest one by far, on every agenda of the cabinet. Yet, the PPPC Government has not held any post-cabinet briefing for over four years. We have no interest in calling out the President and making him look bad, or why the reluctance to face independent, mainstream media. He and his senior comrades scurrying over to the friendly arms of the helpless state media agencies do not qualify as full-fledged post-cabinet briefings.
The same applies in the even more nauseating circumstances when top leaders and ministers seek the safe harbour of fawning, worshipping agents planted in online private media. The President should be aware that those pretenders for professional media practitioners don’t count for anything in thoughtful, constructive, and respectable circles. The President should know that those fly-by-night online presences insult both him and his government in that they register in a certain discreditable way to him. Guyanese need to know the essence of what goes on in cabinet meetings since there is so much happening at this time. It cannot come in drips and drabs, and then through these side doors and backdoors, which make all Guyanese look foolish, without exception.
The President may not care, but an essential aspect of leadership and the presidency is being made uncomfortable when things are suspect, when colleagues engage in slickness, when government dodges and ducks. Post-cabinet briefings would benefit Guyanese with a wealth of information. The PPPC Government has failed Guyanese in this regard.
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