POST-CABINET press briefings will continue as per normal from next week, according to President David Granger who gave a full commitment to hold the conference which has not been held since April 20. President Granger told reporters on Thursday during his Public Interest programme that: “It is not a question of transparency. It was an administrative lapse, and we will correct that and have the meeting more frequently.”
President Granger’s pronouncement earlier Thursday morning was not released for public consumption until last evening. However, the parliamentary opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) raised the very issue at a press conference it held calling the Granger administration out on its commitment to provide public information.
The statement from opposition chief whip, Gail Teixeira, and her colleague MP Bishop Juan Edghill, was in relation to reports of an increase in tolls for the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB). A press release from the Ministry of the Presidency yesterday underscored not only the “open door” policy of the President, but the ability of Cabinet Ministers to speak freely on matters regarding their respective portfolios.
“The confusion between ministers speaking out of turn or in contradiction to each other creates a cauldron of confusion and certainly, many times… the knee-jerk reaction of this government is to deny,” opposition MP Teixeira told the press corps yesterday morning.
“Have we abandoned the process of Cabinet decisions being announced to the public in a structured manner, so that the public can know exactly what is happening?” Edghill asked, adding that under the PPP administration, press briefings with the Cabinet Secretary customarily followed cabinet meetings for the week.
“Providing information to the people of Guyana is not a choice and should not be considered a burden. It should be considered a responsibility of a government that is accountable and transparent,” Edghill, a former junior Finance Minister said.
In this administration, State Minister Joseph Harmon holds responsibility as the Cabinet Secretary. The Ministry of the Presidency, in its release last evening, denounced claims of lapse in relating Cabinet decisions to the media from April 29 to May 31.
“In the absence of the weekly press briefings, the Ministry of the Presidency’s Press and Publicity Unit has issued releases on important Cabinet decisions,” the release said, adding that 14 press releases on Cabinet decisions were issued on April 29. Following reports in this publication and the Stabroek News, the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday issued a number of multi-million dollar contracts which had received Cabinet’s “no objections.”