IT seems like the opposition is running out of ideas on how to deal with the rapid economic and social progress currently underway in the country. They are literally clutching at straws, trying in vain to make issues out of non-issues.
The political opposition, from all appearances, is on a fishing expedition looking for red herrings, all in an attempt to project the ruling PPP/C administration in a negative light. Not even a friendly exchange between President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and a news reporter is spared the wrath of power hungry elements within the opposition media landscape.
These elements in our society are aided and abetted by the opposition media, which seek to sensationalise issues in order to promote their own agendas. In this regard, all aspects of balance and objectivity are cast aside, not to mention the time-honoured journalistic principles of responsibility and professional ethics in the coverage and dissemination of news.
What is attempted by the opposition media is a biased and selective approach to the coverage of news that seeks to divert attention from the transformational changes that are taking place in the country under the current PPP/C administration.
When it comes to the President and his style of managing his press conferences, the goalpost is constantly changing. At one time, the narrative was that of a lack of media accessibility to the President and the infrequency of press conferences. That narrative has now shifted to more elaborate and lengthy responses by the President on issues of national interest and governance.
The fact is that President Ali is not only accessible to the media, including the opposition media, but his affable and conversational style of treating with media operatives has caught some opposition elements off balance. All Presidents, it should be noted, have their own unique and distinctive style of responding to questions from journalists at press conferences. Whatever President Ali’s style may be, no one can say with any degree of credibility that he was ever disrespectful or evasive in the manner in which he treats media personnel. Nor was there any indication of favoured treatment with respect to those from the government media.
The distortion and misrepresentation of positions from the Government have not escaped the attention of President Ali, both with respect to the opposition press and social media. This was especially so on matters pertaining to the Venezuelan threat to Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and on the oil and gas situation. On the issue of the Venezuelan threat, the President had cause to advise that the public should rely on information emanating only from official government channels.
I have seen a lot of social media posts and the level of excitement generated is leading to some level of unease in our society. I want to assure the members of the public to rely only on official releases from the Government of Guyana, the Guyana Defence Force and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, President Ali said in relation to the recent Venezuelan threats.
The media does have a role to play in terms of providing information to the public, but it must do so in a fair, unbiased, and objective manner, failing which its very existence as the ‘Fourth Estate’ and the so-called watchdog of society could be called into question.
