DAYS after the country acknowledged the role of journalists and media workers on World Press Freedom Day, Opposition Member of Parliament, Sherod Duncan, has criticised a local communications officer (CO) attached to the Department of Public Information (DPI) for executing his role.
Duncan’s criticism of the media worker, Courdel Jones, was broadcast live on the Parliamentarian’s Facebook page during a show called “In The Ring”.
The Member of Parliament claimed that the CO acted outside of his role when he questioned Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton, on the whereabouts of Statements of Poll (SoPs) from the March 2 General and Regional Elections, that purportedly show that the A Partnership For National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) had won the elections.

A careful examination of the issue would reveal that the media worker was merely executing his normal duties, since it was Norton who, during a recent engagement with Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, said that he is in possession of the winning SoPs.
The APNU+AFC has repeatedly claimed that it won the elections, based on its SoPs, but has never presented them to the public, or in court during the five-month impasse in 2020 in which it tried every conceivable means to hold on to power.
At the end of the protracted process, a national recount of all votes cast showed that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) received 233,336 votes, while the APNU+AFC Coalition got 217,920 votes.
Norton, however, told Dr. Jagdeo that he is willing to submit those SoPs, but only at the end of a debate between them.
On Friday, however, the Opposition Leader in a haste to dodge reporters’ questions on his ‘winning’ SoPs, apparently got confused and entered the wrong vehicle.
Norton was seen exiting the vehicle he first entered and quickly making his way into another, all the while maintaining stony silence to questions from reporters.
Jones seized the opportunity to ask pointed questions on his purported winning SoPs.
This, however, did not sit well with Duncan, since it was his belief that the media worker does not understand his role.
“What he did not understand is you report the news without becoming it… it was like a malignant sore,” the Member of Parliament said.
Duncan’s actions are contrary to the position of Government of Guyana, which believes in the preservation of press freedom, especially once there is responsible reporting, decency and accountability.
Calling press freedom “our way of life” in any democratic society, President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, highlighted the critical role that the media plays in society, particularly in Guyana, given the important development juncture that the country is at, with its burgeoning oil and gas sector.
“I believe in the full freedom of the press. I am open to constructive criticism. Freedom and press freedom… to understand what it is, is understanding our way of life, it is a culture. All of us have to have it in us to accept it as a way of life, of culture,” President Ali said during address to persons at the inaugural World Press Freedom Day Conference held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre.