THE Government Information Agency (GINA) said it is profoundly shocked and disappointed at the “selfish and callous actions” perpetrated in the National Assembly by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), in collaboration with the Alliance for Change (AFC),  with regards to its 2012 budgetary allocation. GINA, in a statement yesterday, said it is convinced that these Parties have misused their one seat majority in the National Assembly to exploit partisanship as demonstrated in their actions.
“The Management and staff of GINA forthrightly condemn the APNU/AFC’s irresponsible actions which have dire consequences pertaining to the existence of the Agency, and by extension, the livelihood of its thirty-eight (38) staff members and their families,” GINA stated.
“The Agency’s hard-working staff have family-related responsibilities and obligations to financial institutions and with some being the sole breadwinner. The imminent threat to their jobs is traumatizing and would leave them and their families vulnerable to the possible harsh consequences of not being able to meet their financial commitments,” the Agency lamented.
GINA said it can only interpret the actions of APNU/AFC to reduce its subvention to one Guyana dollar ($1) as “a disdainful, deliberate ploy” to deprive staff of their jobs. In addition, the actions must be seen as a blatant attempt to deny the populace, and those overseas who access the services of GINA, of their right to be informed as it relates to government programmes and policies.
GINA said it believes that if this attempt to suppress its operations is successful, then the nation will be only subjected to information that is biased towards APNU/AFC through the media entities they influence. Such a situation is not in keeping with government’s obligation to provide information to the citizenry.
It is in this context that GINA said it wishes to remind the APNU/AFC alliance that all governments have a unit that functions as their information arm. The operational mandate of GINA is therefore not unique to Guyana and the present Administration. Further, GINA cannot help concluding that, in addition to other factors, the actions of APNU/AFC have demonstrated their deficiency in understanding its role.
GINA also reiterates that the professional staff exercised their constitutional right to choose where they work in this now free and democratic nation. As such, the insensitive attempt by APNU/AFC to malign them as hacks and cronies of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic and to deprive them of their jobs must be seen as a brazen attack on media operatives.
The Agency said it is therefore appalled that the Guyana Press Association (GPA), which is usually swift to speak out against alleged discrimination on the private media and its operatives, has been silent on the actions of APNU/AFC. As such, GINA is calling on the GPA to immediately condemn this wanton attack by the APNU/AFC on its staff.
GINA is also calling on the Ministry of Labour, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), Civil society and other relevant local and international organisations to denounce this vengeful act by the APNU/AFC.
“Management and staff remain steadfast and united in its actions to condemn and bring awareness to the current situation,” GINA stated.