Dear Editor,
President Jagdeo is clever when, at the Caricom summit in St. Vincent, he invited foreign journalists to come to Guyana to determine if press censorship exists. They won’t find violations of a free press. The Jagdeo administration, to his credit, has not been engaged in any blatant effort to muzzle and intimidate the independent press. There is unfettered freedom of speech in Guyana since the restoration of electoral democracy in October 1992. Press freedom never flourished in Guyana the way it does today. The withdrawal of government ads from SN is not the same as press repression. But a perception has been created that media outlets would be punished if they are critical of the government.
And that is what the President needs to address.
What is troubling is the sudden withdrawal of state ads from SN. One recalls that during the election campaign, SN ran a few articles that the PPP officials found offensive and to be a distortion of the truth; SN owned up to the errors. Five months later, government ads were withdrawn from SN. People see a cause and effect link. And the government has not done an effective job to counter the perception that it is punishing SN for its critical or “inaccurate” (from the government’s perspective) reporting.
Many of us in New York are still not clear on whether all state ads have been withdrawn from SN or only those ads that normally come from GINA. It is also not clear whether the ads were cancelled or the government is not taking out new ads. (editor’s note: we have made it clear from the outset that it was the ads that GINA controlled for government ministries that were withdrawn).
I do not know what exactly drove GINA to withdraw the SN ads but I don’t buy the government agency’s stated reason that it is seeking more bang for its money. I know the country, businesses, and the government get value for their money by placing ads in SN. It is an outstanding, well-respected paper. SN stands for what is best in independent journalism – a willingness to try to get to the truth at whatever cost and it should not be punished. People need information in order to hold the government accountable and SN as well as other media outlets are providing the information. The media play an effective role as society’s watchdog, resolving problems that the political system cannot, reporting on a whole range of issues including scandals and corruption.
The last thing the government wants is for people to believe that the media would be punished if they critique government’s policy. I don’t think Mr Jagdeo is a vindictive person seeking to punish SN for publishing reports he deemed offensive. On an anecdotal note, I was at a wedding reception in Georgetown about five years ago having an exchange with a prominent lawyer critic of the government about his weekly one hour TV program. President Jagdeo came over, exchanged pleasantries, and then challenged the critic with: “I want to come on your program and debate you on the issues any time”. So I don’t think President Jagdeo is afraid of debates or of free exchange of ideas or of a free press. He did not take measures to silence critics even though he was and still is in a position to do so. Neither Jagdeo nor the government has pressured any companies not to buy advertising from SN. And unlike during the dictatorship, the PPP government does not use legal recourse to penalize the media.
In Guyana, today, people and the media freely and constantly critique the government and its various officials. This contrasts sharply with press freedom during the dictatorship. During the Burnhamite era, for example, we could not pen a sentence criticizing the government for the starvation diet experienced during periods of the 1970s and 1980s – shortage of basic needs and the banning of the consumption of flour, potatoes, dhal, channa, etc. Many people were punished for voicing opinion contrary to the government. No one dared condemn the shooting and tear-gassing of people in McKenzie and Buxton, and the abuse of workers in this socialist paradise, and the electoral frauds. Today, we can make our feelings known on any matter and even disagree with the declaration of free and fair elections and even criticize the government for withdrawing ads from SN.
I don’t think Mr Jagdeo would ever impose press restrictions in Guyana. Jagdeo knows and appreciates the struggle that was waged to restore freedom of the press in Guyana. He knows a free press is not only the essence of democracy, it is democracy. And no one would allow any government to take away our freedom again. And that is why there has been vigorous opposition to the withdrawal of ads from SN. The government must address this perception among Guyanese that it is punishing SN which was critical of some of its policies. Government must be open to critical reporting and commentaries. If SN is violating the norm of press freedom and reporting untruths, Guyanese would recognize it and the paper would lose its reputation for objectivity and fair play. I urge the government to re-examine the issue of placing state ads in the media. It would get good value for its money for ads in SN.
Yours faithfully,
Vishnu Bisram
