Region Four councillors representing the PNCR-1G, AFC and Justice For All Party (JFAP) yesterday voted in favour of a directive for administrative officers to exercise fair play, transparency and equitableness in the dissemination of material to all media houses but PPP/C councillors abstained.
Regional Chairman Clement Corlette advanced the directive at a fiery meeting of the Regional Demo-cratic Council at the Provi-dence Community Centre, East Bank Demerara in the backdrop of the regional executive officer’s refusal to place advertisements with Stabroek News. Corlette said the directive was in keeping with Act 2 of 1980 of the Constitution of Guyana, Chapter VIII Local Democratic Organs, Section 75, which speaks of the autonomy of the RDC and the power to take decisions.
He said he was pushed to ensure that the council took a decision one way or the other through a directive because the autonomy of the council was under threat of being eroded by interference from central government in areas that were well within the jurisdiction of the RDC.
According to the directive, the RDC has no objection to the placing of press releases, messages of congratulation and condolence, notices or administrative orders, advertisements and/or educational advisories in all national daily newspapers.
It said that the chief administrative officers, including the Office of the Regional Executive Officer, should observe the rules of fair play, transparency and equitable apportioning of dissemination of information to the public, using all established national daily newspapers, television stations and radio stations.
The directive said the RDC may also disseminate information to the public and institutions via the publication of its own newsletter, magazine, brochure and audio visual programmes.
Corlette said he was forced to bring the issue up at the level of the council after he observed that an important advertisement from the region had been placed in the other dailies but not the Stabroek News, a reputable newspaper widely read in Region Four. He said he was subsequently asked by the publishers of the Stabroek News, why this was so.
He said he enquired of Regional Executive Officer (REO) Shafdar Alli and Alli told him that he had taken his cue from the government’s policy.
He said he explained to Alli that if central government boycotted a media house, it should not be replicated at the level of the RDC unless there was some good reason for doing so.
He said that Alli, who is the Clerk of the RDC, said that he would have to find out. When he contacted him again, Corlette said, Alli referred him to a government official (no name given) to clarify the issue.
In the discussions on the directive, it was noted that there was need to streamline the operations of the RDC’s Information Department. Coun-cillors pointed out that information on the region’s projects were not being publicized in the media. When questioned about this, the regional information officer, who was present at the meeting, said he was in need of equipment. Releases, he said, were sent to GINA for dissemination.
JFAP councillor Clem David congratulated Corlette for taking a position on the government’s ban on advertisements in some media houses. The former journalist, noting that he had been in the media for 37 years, said that the Region Four RDC could not have the government continuing a ban on “our best newspaper. We must advertise in it. I agree.”
He said it took courage to take a position on an issue, which was largely undemocratic, but has the blessing of the administration.
PPP/C councillor Rajendra Bissessar questioned whether the issue was ideological and was to do with the free press, freedom of the press – which he said the Stabroek News has – the privately-owned press as against the state-owned press, or whether it was a matter of profit for the private press.
PNCR councillor Rawlewayne Payne opined that there was too much interference and reminded the meeting of government’s intervention in the reconstruction of the Region Four Head Office, after it was gutted by fire, at Triumph and not at Paradise where it was initially housed, as was recommended by the RDC.
He said that if it were to subscribe fully to the Constitution the region should have no fear in carrying out its mandate and deciding how it uses its resources without interference from central government. He felt that the RDC did not put up a strong enough fight against the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development on the location of the Region Four Head Office allowing the government to get its own way.
AFC councillor Michael Carrington said the Region Four RDC needed to channel its information directly to media houses instead of sending it to GINA.
Also commenting on the issue but not at the statutory meeting, was PPP/C councillor Kwame McCoy. Speaking at a press conference at Freedom House after the meeting, McCoy said the Region Four RDC did not have the authority to decide whether Stabroek News should get government ads or not.
McCoy was adamant that the decision to withdraw the ads from the Stabroek News was a decision taken by Cabinet for all government advertisements to be placed in two dailies for economic reasons and the RDCs could not supersede Cabinet’s authority since the RDC was created as an extension of Cabinet.
Up to that point, the government’s position was that the cut-off of ads to SN was decided at the level of GINA. Hours after the press briefing, McCoy telephoned Stabroek News to say that he had erred at the press briefing when he said that the decision to withdraw the ads was taken by Cabinet. Instead he said it was a GINA decision.
Motion
PPP/C MP with responsibility for Region Four Neil Kumar said the Region Four RDC could not take a decision on a directive recommended by the Chairman of the RDC.
He said the chairman should have presented a motion on the issue then have it debated and voted for or against.
He said recommending a directive be approved by the council was an insult to the integrity of the councillors.
At the same meeting, three other directives put forward by Corlette for improving regional governance were approved.
Earlier at the statutory meeting, McCoy was hauled over the coals for refusing to respond to the chairman’s request to take his seat while he was speaking. McCoy who was vociferous in his response to Corlette’s position on the composition of the regional tender board because of likely “ulterior motives” refused to heed Corlette’s request to leave the meeting.
McCoy had also accused Corlette of trying to usurp the role of the REO telling the meeting that the REO, as accounting officer of the region, was answerable to central government. Corlette tried to explain to McCoy about the autonomy of the RDC, but McCoy continued to loudly proclaim that Corlette was trying to suppress his views.
Even though Corlette ordered him to leave the meeting and PNCR, AFC and PPP/C councillors tried in vain for some 15 minutes to bring situation under control McCoy stood his ground interjecting rude remarks, such as, “You could say what the hell you want to,” when asked to be quiet.
Eventually the chairman called for his suspension from three statutory meetings. PPP/C councillor Desmond Morian pleaded with McCoy and explained to him that if he left immediately he would only be suspended for the rest of the meeting, but if he had to be physically removed he would then be suspended for three statutory meetings, McCoy left.
However, he remained outside speaking in a loud voice. He subsequently left the premises after the intervention of the REO and some of his fellow PPP/C councillors.
Kumar yesterday proposed taking legal action on McCoy’s suspension.
The autonomy of the regions has come into sharp focus in light of the continuing ban on advertising in Stabroek News. The chairmen of regions 1, 4 and 7 which are headed by the PNCR have since said they oppose the ban on Stabroek News. At the regional level, the ban is being facilitated by the Regional Executive Officers despite the wishes of the regions. PPP/C- controlled regions are also not advertising in SN.