THE Ministry of the Presidency has condemned what it described as the deliberate publication of false information by Citizens’ Report, an online news outfit, regarding President David Granger’s reason for not attending this year’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) scheduled for September 18, 2018, in New York.

In a release, the ministry said the website, “which has a reputation for misrepresenting facts,” attempted to mislead the public by stating that the President is “unfit for travel.”
In an article published under the headline, “President will not be attending the 73rd United Nations General Assembly…source says President unfit for travel”, Citizens’ Report said “a source from the Ministry of the Presidency” had informed that “the President is not as healthy as he appears and thus he is not taking any chances, hence the real reason he is not attending the UN General Assembly.”

“Nothing can be further from the truth than that,” the ministry stated. The Ministry of the Presidency stated that the President’s decision to not attend the 73rd UNGA is based solely on the fact that there are urgent matters of national importance that require his attention, particularly the upcoming Local Government Elections slated for November 12, 2018.

Guyana will be represented at the international forum by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Carl Greenidge, who clearly reiterated this fact in a statement on Tuesday. “The intent of the Citizens’ Report article is clearly malicious in nature and is meant to mislead. The ministry therefore calls for a retraction of this article.”