…rejects Stabroek News editorial

AMID complaints about the infrequency of presidential news conferences, the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday said President David Granger remains open to requests for interviews and also rejected a Stabroek News editorial earlier this week deeming it a “malicious misdirection.”

The ministry said the Stabroek News’ Editorial of July 9, 2018, sought to falsely project the media as nuisances to the President. In a statement, the ministry said this cannot be further from the truth, since the President makes efforts as regularly as possible to engage members of the media, particularly during public exercises.

According to the ministry, the assertion carried that the number of presidential press conferences is a lack of demonstration of accountability to the people is simply absurd. “The ministry takes this opportunity to remind Stabroek News of the weekly post-Cabinet briefings, which are held to update the media and by extension, members of the public on deliberations and decisions of Cabinet by the Minister of State, Mr. Joseph Harmon, who is the chief spokesperson for the government. This does not take into account the extensive speeches and publications produced by the President and the Ministry of the Presidency.
“The David Granger-led administration since its assumption of office has been nothing but transparent and accountable to the citizens and in so doing, has empowered the Ministers of Government to speak on their respective portfolios unabated,” the statement added.
The ministry said what is important to question is the motive of such an editorial. “The Stabroek News, which champions itself as a balanced and fair newspaper, deliberately ignores the numerous avenues through which information on the government’s business is available, among them being the Department of Public Information (DPI) and the Public Information and Press Services of the Ministry of the Presidency, which provide content on a daily basis.” The Ministry of the Presidency uses this opportunity to reiterate the President’s commitment to engaging the members of the media — whom he holds in high esteem — in an effort to provide accurate information to the Guyanese public. The head of state also remains open to requests for interviews in this regard.