No government is going to listen unless you are an example
Kaieteur News – There is nothing in this country that amazes me. Because of that attitude, I’m laughing at the head of civil society in Guyana. Civil society has been reduced to clownish errors that cannot fail the nation’s eyes.
Governments do not tend to embrace civil society criticism. But it is not an open and closed case. If your credibility is recognized nationally; have high standards; if you are not visibly spoiled in your double standards, there are endless possibilities that government as a joint entity or ministers in their individual roles will listen to you and act on the credible alternatives you offer them.
I laughed while reading in this newspaper the comments of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) in the recent media crunch hosted by President Ali; just a laugh might have been my reaction. The GPA said that the role of the media is “to provide factual and impartial information to our readers and our audience,” but the GPA departed from that tradition during the five months of election rigging.
The GPA issued a statement that was not only inaccurate but dangerous in context. In condemning the exact press release in my column on Monday, February 1, 2021, “Guyana 2020: The negatives,” I wrote the following, “In 2020, she (GPA) was ignorant of what it is technology brought to journalism. In the kitchen while cooking, your cousin with his smartphone can receive live feed of John punching Mary in another county. Any denial of that action by the reporter will expose the journalist’s unprofessional behavior. There are dozens of images of APNU + AFC donors attacking journalists at the Control Center and GECOM head office during the election rigging, and yet the GPA issued a press release saying that political party supporters are attacking journalists. The GPA cannot provide any pictures of such attacks. It was one of the GPA’s most energetic exhibitions since his birth. Political parties should call on him to apologize. ”
It was really funny to hear those words from the GPA during the press. I remember when the GPA statement came out I was in the studio at Kaieteur Radio. The journalists’ reaction was in disbelief. There were no pictures of any members of the opposition attacking the media. As the racial basis for the killing of the two cousins in Cotton Tree by the PNC and AFC, the shout of the GPA made no sense.
It was offensive to supporters of Indian extraction PPP accused of killing two African youths out of the joy of election victory. From the time the cousins were murdered, my columns rejected that sermon. It didn’t make sense and it won’t make sense in the future in any country. Angry supporters of parties losing elections will target their opponents and do them harm. Why would the winning groups go out killing people when their party won?
During the imbroglio of the five-month election, there were four daily newspapers. Of the four, only the state-owned Chronicle denied that there was a conspiracy between elements in GECOM and APNU + AFC to interfere with the count process. The other three carried daily descriptions on the shape of the rigging. These three newspapers were a source of endless reports that any foreigner could have relied on to understand how the election count in GECOM was derailed.
It made no sense for PPP supporters to attack Kaieteur News, Stabroek News and Guyana Times reports. I don’t think any pictures of such events can be found. But could PPP groups outside the command center have attacked the Chronicle journalists? This would be self-destructive public relations. But it could have happened. If so, why then did the Chronicle not report it?
So the GPA was doing to the Chronicle what the Chronicle was helpless in doing. Video footage from two Kaieteur News journalists explains to Leonard Gildarie how they were attacked by APNU + AFC supporters after they left GECOM head office on Friday March 13. They both said they went back to his office and cried. Both young women were interviewed by Leonard Gildarie on his radio show on the last day of 2020. I was a guest on that program and asked them both if they accepted that they had been attacked by thieves from different political parties. Their answer was only donors from APNU + AFC.
I think the GPA is not biased in favor of any political party. But fear was the reason for the sliced press release. They did not want to acknowledge the PNC’s anger. But that’s still unprofessional journalism.
(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of this newspaper.)