Welcoming President Donald Ramotar’s announcement of May 11, 2015 as the date for general elections, the US, UK and Canada yesterday urged that improvements be made to the electoral process here, including equitable access by all parties to the media.
Access to the state media has long been a sore point for the opposition parties, who have complained that they are shut-out from the state media and it is highly biased in favour of the PPP.
In a joint statement yesterday, outgoing British High Commissioner to Guyana Andrew Ayre, Chargé d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy here Bryan Hunt and Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana Dr. Nicole Giles welcomed the announcement of elections and noted that the polls are a critical first-step towards the return of a fully functioning Parlia-ment. Both the United Kingdom and the US had called for elections to be held after Ramotar had suspended Parliament on November 10, 2014.
In their statement, the three diplomats said that they note the “great strides” made by Guyana during the 2011 general and regional elections. They noted that the Organisation of American States (OAS) Electoral Mission Final Report had applauded the significant efforts made by the Guy-ana Elections Commission (GECOM) to execute an overall inclusive and clean electoral process.
The statement said that the report mentioned the “high level of training and dedication exhibited by GECOM staff in the polling centers” and recalled that these views were also endorsed by the Commonwealth observation team. The report also made recommendations for improvements to make subsequent elections more efficient and fair, the statement recalled.
“We hope Guyana considers these recommendations, including: improving mechanisms that guarantee more equitable access to media and political financing, adherence to timely and standardized procedures for the electoral process, improving communications with all stakeholders in particular GECOM, and strengthening the promotion of gender balanced participation throughout the electoral process,” the three diplomats said.
They also said they are hopeful the upcoming electoral process will allow the Guyanese people to debate the important issues that are facing the country. “We are committed to working with GECOM, all political parties, and civil society to support free, fair and peaceful elections,” the diplomats said.
‘Poisoning the atmosphere’
The opposition yesterday welcomed the call by the diplomats. APNU leader David Granger, who met with Dr. Giles yesterday, told Stabroek News that he is in complete agreement with the diplomats’ stance and pointed out that he has already called attention to the need to have elections conducted in a free and fair manner.
He pointed to the abuse of state resources, which gives the PPP a significant advantage over the other parties, while citing the use of aircraft to travel and expenditure of state funds for various purposes, among other things. “These are all designed to influence the electorate in favour of the PPP and we feel that is an abuse of state resources,” Granger said.
He also spoke of the biased state media and the unleashing of “violent, vitriolic propaganda”-like flyers, comparing him to Hitler as well as other inflammatory statements. “These actions by the PPP are poisoning the atmosphere,” he said, while warning that it could lead to retaliation by persons offended by what was being put out. He emphasised the need to have elections conducted in a free and fair manner. Granger said that his discussions with the Canadian High Commissioner revolved mostly around electoral matter and these issues were more or less raised during the discussions.
Meanwhile, AFC leader Khemraj Ramjattan said his party fully supports the statements made by the three countries and commended them for their courage in commenting on the matter particularly in light of the negative labels some of the diplomats were branded with by government. He said the recommendations are in keeping with international democratic norms and also those made by former President Bharrat Jagdeo during the recent Sri Lanka elections. “We must not only talk the talk but we must walk the walk,” Ramjattan said. “Demo-cracy will only be better and not create suspicion on the losers’ part by an equal playing field,” Ramjattan said.
‘Excessive state media bias’
A level playing field has been long urged. The Commonwealth Observer Group in its final report on the November 28, 2011 general and regional elections gave the polls a passing grade but recommended the reconstitution of the GECOM, the setting up of an independent body to monitor the media and strengthening of laws regarding campaign financing.
The report had also noted that lack of independence and impartiality of the media remained a problem and singled out state-owned television, radio and print media, which it said according to the Media Monitoring Unit showed overt bias in favour of the ruling party in its coverage and news reporting. “State-owned media was not alone in providing imbalanced reporting but bias by the state media was excessive,” the report said, noting that state-owned media has a responsibility to serve the interests of all citizens, “particularly as in some parts of the country it is the only media available.”
The Commonwealth said that as a consequence of the media bias and the resources at the disposal of the incumbent, there was not a sufficiently level playing field for the campaign. “While the development of codes of conduct for parties and media is welcomed, it is not enough for them merely to be signed by stakeholders. They must also be adhered to,” the Commonwealth said in its report.
The Commonwealth also said that there is a need to ensure proper implementation of the laws for declaration and public disclosure of campaign funding and expenditure, in order to ensure transparency and accountability. “There may also be a case to strengthen such regulations,” it said.
As regards elections campaigning and the media, the report said that steps should be taken to strengthen and enforce rules on the use of public resources, especially during election campaigns, to facilitate a more level playing field for all parties, and reduce the abuse of state resources through the power of incumbency.
The Commonwealth had noted that the signing of the ‘Code of Conduct for Political Parties Contesting the 2011 General and Regional Elections’ by all five competing parties was a welcome development.
“However, several of those who spoke with the Group said that breaches of the code were frequent. In addition to the claims of racist campaigning noted above, parties cited personal attacks on the character of candidates and the airing of political advertising denigrating other parties,” the Commonwealth had said.
“It was reported that President [Bharrat] Jagdeo, during campaign rallies, attacked press personnel by name in an intimidating manner, to the point where the Guyana Press Association claimed that some journalists were fearful for their safety and hesitant to report on PPP/C political events,” the Commonwealth had also said.
The Commonwealth selected Jagdeo to head its observer team to observe the Sri Lanka elections earlier this month and the former president’s report on those elections cited widespread state media bias in favour of the government and the abuse of state resources, the exact criticisms which had been levelled here during the 2011 polls when he was the outgoing President.
Jagdeo’s 12-year administration had long been accused of vulgar abuse of the state media and state resources on behalf of the ruling PPP/C and to burnish its chances particularly during election campaigning.
In his interim statement on January 10th on the Sri Lankan polls, which saw third-term aspirant Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated by the opposition candidate, Jagdeo’s Commonwealth observer team said, among other things:
“The election campaign period was marked by an unequal contest with extensive, large-scale abuse of state resources. They noted the comprehensive bias of state media against the Common Opposition Candidate’s campaign; the use of military personnel and public officials to support the President’s campaign; the use of Government monies, gifts and other inducements; and, the widespread use of state-owned public transport by the incumbent.”
And:
“The Common Opposition Candidate’s campaign received little to no coverage in the state media in clear contravention of the provisions of the Constitution, the Presidential Elections Act and relevant guidelines issued by the Commissioner of Elections. The high penetration of state run radio, television and newspaper across the island, and especially in rural areas, increases the burden of responsibility on state media to take seriously its obligation as a public resource for citizens.”
Both APNU and the AFC had complained bitterly about lack of access to the state media during the campaigning for general elections in November 2011. The state radio monopoly, which was used extensively in the service of the ruling party, was also lamented by the opposition. The two groups had also complained about the abuse of state resources by the government on behalf of the ruling party.
Ironically, the Commonwealth’s own mission here to the 2011 polls had cited some of these issues in its final report, which also contained a reference to accusations that Jagdeo had attacked reporters in an intimidating manner during campaigning.
The OAS too in its report on the 2011 elections had also recommended a series of reforms to the country’s electoral framework and for more equitable access to the media and to campaign financing.
