Dear Editor,
Just a few comments on Manzoor Nadir’s appearance with APNU+AFC’s Imran Khan and Guyana Press Association’s Nazima Raghubir on the radio show ‘Hard Talk’ with host Chris Chapwanya.
Mr Nadir should know better than to make the insane argument that state media are not being abused by the PPP because they are covering executive government programmes and not party ones. The parliamentary opposition is part of the state (and hence government) and the state media’s job is to give access to all components of the state. Further, the fact that NCN produced and aired a programme with PPP PM candidate Elisabeth Harper, appearing for the PPP and not in her substantive role as Director-General of Foreign Affairs, is a glaring example of PPP abuse of the state media. It is unfortunate that Ms Harper can now count herself complicit in such abuse.
Then there is Mr Nadir’s glib contextualization of the PPP support groups running slander campaigns, equating them to the PACs of US politics, and claiming that the PPP cannot be responsible for such groups. Even if we were to give him the benefit of a doubt, the fact is the PPP has never denounced any of the nastiness carried out in its name. There were, for example, the racist editorials published in the Guyana Chronicle that the President has failed to disassociate himself from although the Chronicle comes under his portfolio as Minister of Information. What Mr Nadir’s statement indicates is that the PPP is set to run a ‘swift-boat’ campaign in which supposedly independent Astroturf groups attack the coalition using material that would be considered in breach of electoral codes of conduct, and then distance itself from said attacks. It is an intellectually bankrupt strategy, but fitting for an intellectually and morally bankrupt political organization.
That said, Mr Nadir should be commended on his courage for appearing at all. The PPP core leadership is proving to be increasingly notorious at avoiding any debate on any issue. Dr Bharrat Jagdeo was scheduled to appear on Hard Talk two weeks ago but ‘postponed’ after the host insisted on focusing on issues affecting Guyana instead of, as Jagdeo preferred, on his international career. He is yet to appear.
While Jagdeo has thrown out a challenge to for debate, when it was answered by Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, the former President suddenly went silent again. All of the PPP’s supposed best and brightest, from Anil Nandlall to Gail Teixeira to Dr Roger Luncheon are very comfortable in controlled situations, whether it is at Freedom House or Office of the President or at NCN, but none of them would dare subject themselves to any sort of open unscripted scrutiny.
Neither the PPP’s presidential nor prime ministerial candidates seem willing to publicly debate any issues, with Donald Ramotar apparently having faded into the background of what is supposed to be his own campaign. No government, confident of the ability of the people to recognize what it claims to be a stellar record of achievement runs and hides from independent interrogation as the PPP does.
With the PPP facing actual ouster from office, what I expected is a campaign far more competent than what we’ve been subject to. Instead of issues, we have been given cuss-outs, contextualization of cuss-outs, plagiarism of an Obama campaign speech, cyber-squatting on potential coalition domain names, blatant attempts to hijack both opposition and civil society social marketing campaigns, abuse of the state media, further ad hominem attacks on critical voices, and a studied avoidance of independent media scrutiny. Guyanese people deserve more from this government, and it is time we demand more.
Yours faithfully,
Ruel Johnson
