Gov’t moving to re-establish MMU

Government yesterday signalled that it is moving towards the re-establishment of the Media Monitoring Unit (MMU), which had been in place for the 2006 National and Regional Elections.

Cabinet Secretary Dr. Roger Luncheon yesterday said that it was his “clear understanding” that the body would be reconstituted. It is a move which the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), under whose auspices the body had first been established, had advocated on several occasions. “I probably would need to discourse with the Chairman of the Elections Commission, with the donors, particularly UNDP that’s been involved in financing the operations of the MMU for the 2006 elections, on the time of its reconstitution,” Luncheon said.

He added that there is likely to be delays in getting the body back together, since the people who were engaged to do the work were otherwise employed and this could impact its start up. He said GECOM and the donor agencies have been informed of the government’s intention.

GECOM recently indicated that it had written the government on the resuscitation of the MMU, which the administration last year disbanded to the surprise of many including the people at the Commission.