HEAD of the Presidential, Dr. Roger Luncheon has chided media operatives for presenting inaccurate reports

“I think media operatives have to be very careful in recognizing that the intention is not as good as the act and that distinction must be maintained in the reporting,” were the words of Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger.

He was replying to questions about a statement issued by the Government of Guyana regarding an article in the daily Kaieteur News dated April 16, 2009 reading ‘Government promises criminal probe into CLICO, Globe’, at his weekly post-Cabinet press briefing at Office of the President, Shiv Chanderpaul Drive, Georgetown.

The matter concerning CLICO, I think this one is essentially a problem with the ability of the media to represent in the most accurate of ways statements made in this instance by the President but I suspect that this is an not an omission peculiar to what the President and the administration and the representatives are saying but equally to others,” he stated.

In this specific case, I think attention must be made drawn to the literal language use by the President when he indicated what his inclinations were which indeed suddenly appeared in the media as an intention,” he said.

President said these were his intentions, he introduced a number of imponderable, a parliamentary motion and were the motion to be adopted – it will be supported,” he clarified.

It is amazing that all of that is being fluffed and it is expound from the media’s report of that intervention of his and it appears as though the government says he will do an investigation,” he noted.

So that is the clarification we sought to have introduced,” the Cabinet Secretary made clear.

In a statement issued through the Government Information Agency (GINA), the Government of Guyana said it said it wishes to offer the following clarification: “Contrary to what is suggested in the headline, His Excellency did not promise a criminal probe.”

Instead, he indicated that his government would be willing to conduct an investigation along the lines suggested by the Leader of the Opposition as long as the scope of the investigation is not confined only to the CLICO issue but is expanded to include Globe Trust issue as well.”

The government believes strongly that the difference which might appear to be subtle, is important if the President’s comments are to be reported accurately. The Government hopes that Kaieteur News will issue an appropriate correction so as to avoid creating an incorrect impression of what was said by the President,” the statement said.