‘Campaign of Lies’
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo
Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo

…GNBA, Police, PNCR all debunk Jagdeo’s arrest claims
…warn him against inflammatory remarks

THE People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) have condemned the misinformation of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) which claimed the lawmen were instructed by Congress Place and the Office of the President to arrest and charge Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

In a release on Monday, the reason given by the PPP was in relation to Jagdeo’s inflammatory remarks at Babu Jaan, Port Mourant, East Berbice-Corentyne on March 11, 2019, where he called on residents to “chase” the President, Prime Minister and other ministers from the community when they visit.

The Opposition Leader had been condemned for the comments and a formal complaint has been lodged against him at the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).

On Tuesday the GPF stated: “The Guyana Police Force wishes to clearly refute such statement and to inform all and sundry that the Ministry of the Presidency, the People’s National Congress- Reform or A Partnership for National Unity have not given any such instruction or advice.”

The correspondence added that the GPF remains a professional organisation and any action previously or currently being taken is “pursuant to legal advice obtained and or to engage in investigations”.

Meanwhile, on the same day, a release from the PNCR condemned the PPP’s release as “gross misinformation” stating that it issued no such directive to the GPF. “While the PNCR condemned the inflammatory statements by the Leader of the Opposition…it is not part of the culture of the PNCR, in or out of government, to issue directives to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) or interfere in the day-to-day operation and administration of the GPF.”

The PNCR added that such misinformation is a continuation of the “campaign of lies” of the Jagdeo-led PPP. The PNCR however cautioned that remarks like the ones made by Jagdeo at Babu Jaan are attempts to create racial division in Guyana and to encourage citizens to engage in behaviour that can result in a breach of the law.

This, the PNCR emphasised, is “worthy of condemnation”.
However, the PPP has refused to admit that the remarks are inflammatory and, in its release it also accused the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) for allegedly issuing warning notices to television stations from broadcasting such content.

“We maintain that the Leader of the Opposition has done nothing other than exercise his democratic, constitutional and political right to be critical of a Government that has flagrantly violated the constitution and would have been occupying governmental office unconstitutionally, tyrannically and undemocratically,” the release said.

No such notice
Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, GNBA Chairman, Leslie Sobers, debunked Jagdeo’s claims that the agency had been involved in the hindrance of “free speech”. He stated that while a person can make certain remarks openly in the public, the GNBA continues to encourage broadcasters to steer clear of airing content which is in violation of the Broadcasting Act.

Sobers said that, as far as he was aware, notices issued recently to television agencies were not in relation to the remarks made by Jagdeo. However, he reminded that broadcasters have the responsibility to ensure that they manage the content they air and the GNBA was reminding, and will continue to remind’, broadcasters about their responsibility.

“The GNBA doesn’t view anything that Mr. Jagdeo says as being in violation of any term in the Broadcast Act. What we view as a violation is any broadcaster who decides to carry anything that Mr. Jagdeo says which amounts to a violation,” he said.

Sobers said that there are a lot of remarks made by Jagdeo at press conferences which were of “really bad taste” such as derogatory remarks of the Prime Minister. However, he reiterated that it is the responsibility of broadcasters to manage their content as they are ones the GNBA will penalise.

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