Amid an explosive phone conversation in which Attorney General Anil Nandlall was heard alluding to possible violent retaliation against Kaieteur News over its reportage, the government yesterday stated its commitment to freedom of the press but accused the newspaper of blackmail tactics to stave off a tax audit.
Nandlall’s conversation with KN reporter Leonard Gildarie two Saturdays ago has ignited a firestorm of controversy and the government has been buffeted by calls to sack the AG over the statements he made.
Nandlall has not responded directly to the content of the conversation except to say that it was a private one and it has been distorted. The government maintained this line yesterday and had nothing to say about the mounting calls for Nandlall to be sacked. It however launched an attack on KN, accusing it of unprofessional and unethical reporting.
“Regrettably, over the years, the Kaieteur News has been engaged in an unwavering and institutionalised policy of journalism, lacking in professional and ethical tenets, but steeped in fabrications, distortions, character assassination and homophobia. The prime targets have been the Government, Government Ministers, senior functionaries of the State, sections of the business community, religious organisations, sections of the labour movement and sections of the civil society supportive of the government and indeed anyone with whom the newspaper publisher has a personal grievance.
“Headlines are frequently enlarged and inaccurately sensationalised to scandalise issues and persons and are often times, not borne out by the stories to which they relate, even as distorted and inaccurate as those stories themselves are.
“A column within the newspaper which is supposedly satirical, bearing the colloquial caption “Dem boys seh” has been used as an instrument to publish the vilest, most libellous and homophobic sentiments of and concerning hapless citizens”, the government statement said.
It added that attempts by those aggrieved to solicit apologies, retractions or clarifications from the newspaper are met with further abuse and sometimes with greater intensity. The government statement said that in those circumstances, the affected persons are forced to approach the Court for protection.
“Even in those instances, injunctions issued by the Judiciary restraining offensive and libellous publications are ignored with impunity, causing another proliferation of legal proceedings for contempt of Court. To date, not once has the Government ever attempted to muzzle or interfere with the way this media outfit operates”, the statement declared.
The government statement argued that in recent months, in anticipation of an audit by the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and as a result of criminal charges filed against the owner of the Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall and his relatives for evasion of taxes on the importation of two vehicles, the Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur and the Attorney General became subjects of attacks by the newspaper. The statement noted that both Nandlall and Sattaur were forced to seek legal protection from the Court. It said that although both obtained injunctions the attacks by the newspaper persisted and contempt of court proceedings have had to be filed.
The government further charged that the situation descended to such a level that the Kaieteur News has “resorted to fabrication, hacking of email exchanges purporting to come from these two functionaries and publishing them verbatim, as news.” KN published what it said were emails among Sattaur, Nandlall and former President Bharrat Jagdeo which the newspaper said showed that there was a plot against it. The emails contained tax information on Stabroek News and other newspapers. The GRA has said that the emails are not authentic but there have been calls for an investigation into the matter.
Referring to the Nandlall recording, the government said “This conversation was private; it was illegally recorded, distorted, manipulated and taken out of context to reflect a different dialogue. The Attorney General has since filed legal proceedings and the matter is currently sub judice. Any further commentary thereupon may be interpreted as (an) attempt to prejudice those proceedings. The matter is also being investigated by the Guyana Police Force.
“We believe that these extreme measures are resorted to by this newspaper to avoid being subject to the Rule of Law and constitute measures of blackmail designed to force a withdrawal of the charges and freezing the impending tax audit. This newspaper also fabricates and concocts damaging news about businesses that do not patronise it with advertisements”, the government statement declared.
It said that the Govern-ment of Guyana “cannot and will not sanction a Press being unleashed in this manner on the populace. All are equal before and must operate within the confines of the law and the norms of civil society”.
It added that “Govern-ment wishes to reiterate its commitment to freedom of the press and will continue to ensure that the safest environment is created for all journalists and all media practitioners to operate without fear (of) any form of intimidation or danger.”
Earlier in the statement, the government played up its press freedom credentials.
It said that from its assumption of office in October, 1992, the present Government of Guyana has actively promoted press freedom in all its forms and facets.
“We view freedom of the press as the cornerstone of our democracy. In recognition of the fact that prior to our assumption to office, freedom of the press and indeed, free expression as a whole was denied to the citizenry, we have worked tirelessly over the years to create an atmosphere which is conducive to an environment where freedom of thought, expression and freedom of the press can flourish”, the statement said.
Media experts have said that while the government had a generally good record on press freedom this changed drastically in 2006 under the Jagdeo presidency when all state advertising was cut off to Stabroek News in what was seen as an attempt to shut the newspaper down and pave the way for the Guyana Times, the newspaper now operated by the government-favoured Ramroop Group.
The government statement added that under the PPP/C administration, over 20 television stations have established operations along with two privately owned daily newspapers. It added that there are numerous internet generated news agencies, disseminating news on an almost hourly basis. Critics have however noted that the government uses the state media mercilessly against those it perceives to be opponents and has set up many of its friends in the media sector.
The government statement further said that the radio spectrum over which the State enjoyed a monopoly since Independence, was “liberated under this Government and currently there are in operation, 13 radio stations, 11 of which are privately owned and their operations are evenly spread right across the country.”
Media experts have lambasted the government repeatedly over this claim pointing out that the PPP/C retained an iron-fisted monopoly on radio between 1992 and 2011 and when it finally decided to open up the spectrum, gave the majority of the licences to its friends and others with no media credentials. Stabroek News and Kaieteur News despite having been in existence for many years were denied radio licences. The experts also pointed out that the Jagdeo administration hurriedly handed out licences in the months leading up to the 2011 elections and in breach of earlier undertakings in an agreement with the PNCR.
The government statement yesterday added that it “does not in any form or fashion muzzle or interfere with any of the aforementioned press outfits. Journalists attached to these media entities have equal and ready access to all members of government and indeed, to every public officer. This Government has never been accused of intimidating or has in any manner intimidated journalists or compromised their ability and capacity to report freely and fairly.”
Media experts say this is not the case as senior government officials beginning with the Jagdeo administration in 2006 and continuing into the Donald Ramotar administration have mounted scathing attacks on media houses and reporters which could have the effect of exposing them to attacks. The Nandlall conversation was seen as the most chilling example.
