The PPP/C has said it is a “breach of principle” for the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to use advertising agency Tagman Inc to relay election results since APNU is also utilizing the services of the “partisan” firm – statements at which the company expressed surprise.
Tagman said that it will work for any person or entity willing to hire its services and this is the third national elections in which it is involved. On Wednesday, the PPP/C said it is “unethical” for GECOM to use the same advertising agency – Tagman – as the one that APNU is using for its elections campaign.
“The Party has not publicly objected to that unprincipled decision, and hoped that GECOM would have corrected the situation. Instead, GECOM has exacerbated the situation. Now, to our amazement, GECOM is recommending the same opposition contracted PR company – Tagman – to be in charge of disseminating the 2011 elections results. This we view as a clear breach of all established principles of non-partisanship, and can add to the process being compromised or interfered with,” the PPP/C said in a statement. It said that Tagman was a “partisan” outfit and demanded that GECOM reconsider its decision.
In response, the company denied that it was APNU’s public relations firm. “We, as an agency, have been asked to develop some products and to make some media placements for the APNU and that is as far as that goes. Those who are familiar with our work would know that while we have produced some products the APNU’s media campaign is not reflective of our style and quality of output,” a statement from the company said.
“Charges of bias are unfounded since Tagman has provided services for the PPP/C government in a professional manner for over 16 years including work for the Office of The President, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Home Affairs, and most recently the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security. Our staff have shown the highest respect for every member of the government at all events and engagements,” the company said.
The statement noted that Tagman has developed some products for APNU and is also in the process of setting up the GECOM Media Centre. “This is the third consecutive election where we have been asked to produce products by opposition parties and run the GECOM Media Centre,” said the firm.
“In both of the previous instances though we worked for opposition parties and ran the Media Centre for the elections results the PPP/C’s winning of those elections is convincing proof that Tagman has no influence or interaction with the counting or arrival of the results announced in the Media Centre,” it added.
Explaining the process, the statement said that the Chief Elections Officer makes the announcements, the Chairman of GECOM conducts the press conference and a third party contractor handles the displaying of results which are graphically exhibited after being securely delivered by GECOM from its Data Centre.
“Tagman provides a service that is professionally delivered to whoever wishes to purchase its services. For example, in 1997 we provided design services for the PPP/C, the TUF, and the PNC/R. Since then we have never been asked by the PPP/C to provide services but we would today if we are asked. We are in fact concerned that for elections in Guyana the PPP/C produced campaign products using foreign companies or personnel when we have talented professionals who are home grown and good,” the company said.
The statement said that it is untrue that Tagman is the company providing services to GECOM for its Public Education Campaign. It added that Tagman last did public education work in the run up to the 2001 elections and “while we have the most experience in the country doing Voter Education we were not invited by GECOM to do so.”
The statement said that Tagman’s CEO, Alex Graham, has provided services to the PPP/C government free of charge upon request, the most recent being to anchor telethons and conduct interviews on NCN in response to the Haiti crisis. “None of the government ministers on those programmes can cite any disrespect or bias in the execution of those services,” the release said. “Tagman is a professional media firm and we have a constitutional right to work for whomever so requests without discrimination based on politics,” the company added.
