A BIZARRE few minutes preceded a ‘Live’ Press Conference held in the Studios of the National Communications Network (NCN) yesterday at 15:30hrs, when Kaieteur News Senior Reporter, Leonard Gildarie, following a disjointed tirade against moderator Kit Nascimento, led a walkout with four bewildered looking colleagues from that publication, in-tow.Nascimento, Chairman of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Winston Brassington, GPL Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Ash Deonarine and Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), Raj Singh, had by the time of the incident already taken their places awaiting the signal from the NCN technical operators to begin the ‘live televised’ event.

PHONES AND RECORDINGS
Gildarie was recently in the limelight after a recording surfaced between himself and a Government Official discussing a number of sordid affairs including the solicitation of sex with one of his colleague for a relative of the official.
As officials at the head table, along with journalists from other media houses awaited the allotted time for the televised event, Gildarie engaged in a bout of verbal jousting/banter, at times sarcastic in nature from both ends – a feature among reporters and officials at almost any such event.
Gildarie, however, seemingly took offence to a quip by Nascimento, who in speaking to one of his own colleagues cautioned about ‘phones and recordings’ while around the Kaieteur News Senior Reporter.
Gildarie had allegedly recorded the Government official surreptitiously, before leaking it to the press.
The Kaieteur News Reporter in response to Nascimento’s quip related to recordings, immediately, in a raised voiced, demanded an explanation as to what the moderator meant.

A dumbfounded looking Nascimento attempted to proffer a semblance of an explanation, since by this time all had been taken aback by the reporter’s retort.
Not satisfied with the explanation offered, Gildarie again, in a raised voiced demanded a befitting explanation, this time explaining that he was in the company of his ‘Junior’ colleagues from Kaieteur News and such disrespectful connotations by Nascimento would not be tolerated.

He then informed the gathering that Kaieteur News could not be a part of the proceedings in light of the presumed affront directed at him and proceeded to leave, calling his bewildered looking colleagues, in-tow.
LIVE
As the cameras finally came on and the event was televised ‘live to the world,’ Nascimento opened the Press Conference by firstly berating the actions of the reporter and recent reportage by the Kaieteur News.
Nascimento used as reference, cases involving his direct knowledge, since he is the Public Relations Consultant for the companies involved.
Nascimento opened the televised Press Conference by firstly placing on record his ‘concern’ and that of the companies represented.
According to Nascimento “we are concerned” by fact that on March 26 last, Kaieteur News carried an extensive report on GuySuCo and the sugar industry but ever since the following day when an extensive rebuttal was issued, that remains unpublished.
The moderator further advised that on March 24 last, the Kaieteur News splashed on its front page an extensive report, republishing remarks made by blogger Christopher Ram.
This article centered on a feasibility study and the Marriott Hotel under construction in Kingston and according to Nascimento, following the publication of that article, Atlantic Hotel Inc (AHI) issued a response.
“The AHI response is yet to be published,” according to Nascimento.
GLENN LALL’S INTENT
It is against this backdrop, the veteran Public Relations Consultant told the televised event: “I have reason to believe, and good reason to believe that the publisher of Kaieteur News (Glenn Lall) has directed his staff not to publish responses that are coming from AHI and from GuySuCo and from NICIL.”
Nascimento told the televised audience and reporters present from other media houses, “we have to wonder why Kaieteur News sent four reporters to attend this press conference, all of whom have now left, because they did not like remarks that I made informally…while they sent them to the press conference they will not publish anything we say.”
According to Nascimento: “I thought it would be useful in this context to point out that this and every press conference which is held from now on during the campaign, election campaign, need to be regarded in that environment.”