GUYANA-Press association critical of new measures for budget debate coverage.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – The Guyana Press Association (GPA) on Monday expressed its “deep concern” over the new restrictions imposed on the media covering the budget debate in the National Assembly.

“We note that only five reporters are being allowed into the Dome at any one time, with the requirement to lodge identification before access is granted.

“This represents a significant reduction from previous years, when up to 17 reporters were accommodated within Parliament Buildings to cover sessions. It is difficult to comprehend why, in a larger space, fewer reporters are now permitted,” the GPA said in a statement.

It said, additionally, that the absence of a direct feed for cameras inside the building “is unacceptable”.

According to the GPA, media houses have been told that they will be provided with a link from the state-owned Department of Public Information (DPI), “which has proven unreliable, with frequent audio breaks and interruptions.

“An online link cannot be considered a direct feed, as it does not provide continuous, unfiltered access to parliamentary proceedings.”

The GPA said it is reminding the National Assembly that the press’s role is to “ensure transparency, accountability, and accurate reporting of parliamentary business,” and that restricting access and failing to provide proper technical facilities undermine the public’s right to be informed.

“We strongly condemn this edict from the Speaker and view it as a direct attack on freedom of the press, a hallmark of any democratic society.

“We therefore call on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Manzoor Nadir, to urgently review these measures and restore full access for the press, in keeping with democratic norms and the principles of open governance,” the GPA said.

Meanwhile, Gordon Mosely, the chief editor at the independent online publication, NEWS Source Guyana, said that the new regulation “is now bordering on ignorance and arrogance to the highest level”.

He said journalists arriving to cover the budget debate were confronted with the new regulations. As a result, “media houses are now effectively being barred by the Speaker from providing proper coverage of the National Assembly.

Mosely said that with the parliamentary sittings “going on for hours, media houses could now be forced to wait for the end of the livestream at God knows what hour, before being allowed access to download the video for their newscasts.

“I don’t know where the Speaker gathers his media relations advice, but something has got to be wrong for such a backward step to be taken,” Gordon wrote on his publication’s Facebook page.

He said initially, the media was told last week that the limitations for the budget presentation had to do with space availability since there would be many invitees.

“That has come and gone, and so there is absolutely no reason for this limiting of media access to the 13th Parliament by this Speaker of the National Assembly,” said Mosley. Who added that “I have been covering the National Assembly since around 1999/2000 and have never seen this level of contempt by a Speaker for the media in Guyana”?

“It is an attack on the media, an attack on the freedom of the press, and an attack on the right to information by a Speaker who ought to be upholding those rights rather than trampling on them in this cowardly way. ”

Among the legislators to speak during the budget debate is the newly elected Opposition Leader, Azruddin Mohamed, whose election was publicly opposed by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) because he is wanted in the United States on fraud and related charges.

“It is an indictment on our country, an indictment on the English-speaking Caribbean, for a US-sanctioned person, a fugitive offender, a person indicted by a jury in the United States of America for several international financial crimes, and whose extradition is being sought, to become the Leader of the Opposition of our country possibly,” Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall said.