GUYANESE have gotten accustomed to President Dr Irfaan Ali keeping his word and honouring his commitments. They have gotten so accustomed to it that when he does it, some start to complain about other things without first analysing the gravity and seriousness of the things accomplished right before their eyes.

On Wednesday, Dr Ali hosted yet another press conference where he spent no less than 78 minutes providing an update on crucial and important matters that his government is currently focused on with respect to the economy, regionally and internationally. He painstakingly went in depth covering the issues with respect to foreign policy, finance and economy, health and education, development and growth, and many others.

Despite some challenges with the audio of the press conference, President Ali’s address to the media was clear and precise as far as the agenda and work of the government were concerned. The President was masterful and commanded the attention of the Guyanese media as he churned out a quantitative analysis of his government’s agenda, giving fact after fact, accomplishments, and concomitant challenges.

President Ali then sat down to take questions from the media with the help of moderator Kit Nascimento in a structured way, giving every media house an equitable opportunity. The conference was flowing smoothly until one media operative broke the status quo and went rogue, asking about five questions at once.

President Ali, despite the rebuke he issued to the media personality, answered every question posed to him while the cameras rolled and Guyana listened. Coming down to the close of the press conference, he gave a banter about the unfair criticism that he is not available or accessible to the press and of course, other things.

Firstly, the President kept his commitment to the media that he would engage them soon. It was good but not necessary because the public knows he engages everyone present at his countless outreaches and meetings across the country, including the media. The fact that President Ali had the time and space to accommodate the media at a press conference this week given the prior commitments, engagements, meetings and other important activities is remarkable and commendable.

This just goes to show the level of commitment to the media in Guyana and his government’s commitment to accountability, transparency and good governance. He has done this, in addition to being reachable and available to the media to answer even the most difficult and toughest of questions about very controversial topics and personalities.
In this respect, President Ali is far in front of his Caribbean counterparts and some internationally as far as leaving the door wide open, not shying away, and answering all of the questions posed by the media.

Secondly, the media operative who broke the rules was disrespectful and selfish at the conference. This journalist would not risk adopting such a posture had it been a David Granger or Bharrat Jagdeo press engagement but uses her privileged power and access to abuse the rules.
Others want to ask questions too, and others are just as important if not more important than the journalist who had the audacity to ask not two but five questions of the Head of State. Adding insult to injury, the moderator tried to stop her but was met with the usual cheeky and distasteful response.

This behaviour must be condemned by the government or the Head of State. He must impress, as he rightly did at the conference, that there are rules and time-honoured traditions by which all media must comply. It is not a commonality, having access to the President, but a privilege in certain societies like Guyana even where there is democracy.

This entitled attitude is very dangerous to the wider media landscape in Guyana as it sends the wrong message to other and younger media operatives if it is not nipped in the bud. And who is to say, there are not going to be other press conferences or engagements with the media where another series of questions could be asked?

Who will seek to protect the government from this feral blast from this media operative both at the press conference and in the press where the journalist continues to spread lies, misinformation and half-truths about the government’s press engagement?
Thirdly, the media must understand its role in society and not engage in slinging mud with the government of the day. The above-mentioned journalist and one print media house in the country appear to be unfairly and purposely criticising the government’s interactions with the media. They criticize the government for not hosting the press conference and when the government hosts it, they turn their focus on other trivial and nitpicking events. This is looking very bad on the part of the media and is giving an obstructionist vibe as far as the government’s policy is concerned.

Finally, the criticism that there may be trouble in paradise could not be further from the truth with respect to the public affairs portfolios. In fact, the press engagement was organised and supervised by the individuals holding the remit for these portfolios. They were there in person and the media saw them pre, during and after the engagement was completed.
The President appears pleased with the work of these functionaries. Why else does one think he would have them there?
If there is one takeaway from the engagement, one would see that the government cannot please some sections of the media in Guyana as they are duplicitous, rouge and pursuing an agenda.