PRIVATE Sector Commission (PSC) Chairman, Mr. Ramesh Dookhoo declared, Thursday, that freedom of information (FOI) and broadcast legislation are urgent tasks for democracy and development. Addressing the PSC’s 19th annual general meeting (AGM) at the Pegasus Hotel, in Kingston, Georgetown, he said: “While it has been argued that there is a lot of freedom in Guyana, the media remains one area where we are well below global standards in democracies.”
Dookhoo said that media, press freedom and the free flow of information are as important today as they ever were.
“This is of concern to us, because growth in press would help to cement our democratic credentials and also provide opportunities for more Private Sector investment and development,” he posited.
Dookhoo urged that the National Assembly treats those two pieces of legislation with urgency.
“We also wish to encourage that the participants work to reduce the obstacles to access faced by the media and see real democracy in the radio spectrum,” he said.
Earlier this week, Head of the Presidential Secretariat (HPS), Dr. Roger Luncheon, at his post-Cabinet media briefing, disclosed that access to information is the most significant aspect of the bill and said it paves the way for hassle-free access.
He announced that the long-awaited legislation will be tabled in Parliament within the next two weeks, after having passed through Cabinet where it was reviewed and revised for any misrepresentations.
Tabled by Alliance for Change (AFC) Leader, Mr. Raphael Trotman, it will, however, pose some conventions with regard to what information is and will not be available.
It will also impose the process of how to apply for detailed information as well as what rights an individual can enjoy as a result of an application. It would also boast penalties which will be applied to an individual if information is withheld or destroyed.