The Moseley ban

Photos and interviews by
Sara Bharrat and Melissa Charles

This week we asked the man and woman in the street their opinion on the Gordon Mosley ban.

Randolph Blackman, security officer:

‘Well I believe that the ban is blatant disrespect for Capitol News. I think that the administration is trying to send a message to Enrico Woolford and his entire staff. They need to be very careful and open minded about what they are about and be wary about getting into more trouble, because the next thing you know they might be shut down like Sharma. The ban never should have happened though; Guyanese should be allowed free speech, to speak out against what is bothering them. Further State House and Office of the President are public property and I don’t understand how (Gordon) Moseley could have been banned from covering events there. If the president has nothing to hide then he should not muzzle the press.’

Lana McLenn, private sector employee:

‘If you shut up the press who else won’t you try to shut up. This is an attack on press freedom. The press is the voice of the people and as such should be allowed to report matters on all sides not just what the government wants the people to know. ‘I think the people of Guyana should stand united and fight against this. There is freedom of the press and the Government is trying to stifle that. The media body alone should not fight this but the general public should rise up and show support to Moseley.’

E. Wilson, public sector employee:

‘I feel this is socialist issue. This is tunneling to a point where we would not have freedom of expression any more. The administration is trying to control the press and this is visible through firstly; the withdrawal of Stabroek News ads, then the closing down of Sharma, now the Gordon Moseley ban. I see it this way; those media houses that go after the truth and look at what is behind the façade are the ones being targeted. I think the administration is using this as a diversion to other things they are doing. Instead of focusing on major issues that are affecting our society, this is what our government is up to. I believe that personal feelings are involved and the matter was not dealt with in a professional manner.’

Bruce Dandrade: self-employed

‘I believe that the latest attack on the media is a sure sign of a crumbling democracy. The Office of the President is public property, and reporters represent the interest of the public. Stopping a reporter who gives accurate and balanced coverage from covering events there tramples on the public’s right to a fair message – very undemocratic! This kind of practice shows that we are slipping into dictatorial rule.’

Paul Benjamin, private sector employee:

‘It is quite unfortunate that something like this should happen. I was thinking that if it was determined that Moseley had done something wrong then proper procedure should have been followed for the necessary disciplinary action to be taken. I don’t believe that this was done. It is also unfortunate that the media who give balanced reportage are the ones being victimized. I would sincerely hope that some sort of compromise could be reached to deal with the matter. This type of tension leads to damaged relationships, which only affects the general public who are directly involved. A quick resolution is definitely necessary.’

Deloris Daniels, self-employed:

‘I have not been following the Moseley Ban but I know about it. I think GINA is wrong to ban the reporter from the State House. That is a publicly owned property and as Guyanese we all should have equal rights to access it. We Guyanese people can’t leave our country to go to other countries; we must stay here and speak out for our rights. So what if Moseley chose to report the story from a different angle?‘

Premchand Prashad, self-employed:

‘What must I say? The president it wrong. I’ve been following the Gordon Moseley Ban as much as possible and I think that by banning this reporter the president is showing Guyanese what a touchy person he can be. I think the problem goes beyond the report Moseley made; the president has a personal problem with Capitol News. Basically, the president is trying to muzzle the free press. He fears the truth being written by most of the private media houses.’

Joseph Thorne, businessman:

‘Both the president and Gordon Moseley were at that conference and they must both know what they are saying. I support the president’s decision to ban Moseley from the State House. We must realize that the president is the one who must represent our country; therefore he is not wrong to think that Moseley’s report should have been in favour of Guyana. If, and note I stress if, the president said something then I don’t think it is the right of the media to report it to the complete public. Rather, a meeting of a private nature should have been organized with the president through whatever organization represents the media so that the issue of Moseley’s report could have been discussed. While the president does not have a right to control the media they should realize that there are limits. Gordon Moseley should realize that by portraying that report in a negative light will make our fellow CARICOM territories become disrespectful to Guyanese; he should try to be optimistic. I trust the president’s judgement.’

Mark Schadde, welder:

‘There has to be more to the matter than just the report made by Gordon Moseley. I believe that there is a personal conflict between the reporter and the president. We all know that Moseley is a straight-up journalist who gets to the point when he’s reporting a story. GINA is wrong to have banned Moseley from the State House. By doing this it is giving the public the wrong impression. When private media houses highlight the faults of the government they get scared so they are trying to do something about it and keep the public in the dark. Why is the president so worried?

Andel Higgins, public service employee:

‘I read coverage on the Moseley ban every now and again. The last thing I read was the parliament walkout staged by the private media houses. Gordon Moseley is one of Guyana’s most outstanding journalists. By banning Moseley the government is demonstrating that people don’t like other people under their noses. Capitol News is like the secret service so they know the truth about everything and even though Moseley has been banned from the State House this will not affect his media house. The Moseley ban is similar to what the Venezuelan government is doing in an effort to control the media. They want to control the media to protect the secrecy surrounding the government.’