Canada on Wednesday questioned what Guyana is doing to address the intimidation of members of the press as well as the lack of impartial distribution of broadcast licenses.
“Canada notes continued challenges since the first cycle to freedom of expression in Guyana, notably in the intimidation of members of the press and lack of impartial distribution of broadcast licenses,” Canadian ambassador Leigh McCumber said as Guyana’s human right record was reviewed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in the framework of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) in Geneva. Under the UPR, the human rights record of each state is extensively reviewed every four years.
“Could the Delegation of Guyana inform us of the measures Guyana is taking to address these issues, and to prevent and investigate instances of intimidation or violence against the media,” McCumber questioned.
In response, Minister of Foreign Affairs Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett pointed to Guyana’s submission and said that the report reveals how many broadcast licences have been given out. “I think if you just go online and see all of our newspapers and so on what you might want to recommend for us is not just freedom of expression but responsibility of those persons that have that controlled media as well. So the self-regulation that you recommended, I hope that we would be able to have that in Guyana because with rights there are also responsibilities but freedom of expression is well and alive in my country,” she added.
Estonia also urged Guyana to respect and protect the right to freedom of expression online/offline and bring its national legislation fully in line with international standards, including by decriminalizing defamation and to develop self-regulatory mechanisms of the media.
General elections
Meantime, Mexico and the Netherlands also spoke about the upcoming general elections. Mexican representative Juan Raúl Heredia Acosta urged transparency in the elections. “We welcome the fact that elections will be held in 2015 and we would respectfully urge Guyana to do whatever it can to ensure that the process, a very important process, is transparent,” he said. The Netherlands representative Paul Peters for his part said that they hope that the May elections “can provide a way out of the political standstill, caused by the decision of the President of Guyana to prorogue the Parliament.” He observed that the situation prevents the adoption of laws or holding debates, for example, on the follow-up of the UPR recommendations.
In response, Rodrigues-Birkett said she was confident that the elections will be transparent once measures are put in place. She related that she was told that in relation to the 2006 elections, Guyana came in at number two in the world in the cost per capita for holding elections.
“This is because of the layers and layers and layers of transparency that we had to do but I can assure you that we have sought the observers from the Commonwealth, from the Organisation of American States, from the Union of South American nations, from CARICOM, and so I have all confidence that this elections will be transparent once all the measures are put in place,” she said.
Correction
The minister also said that she wanted to make a correction in relation to the Netherlands rep’s comment that the May elections can provide a way out of the political standstill caused by the decision of the President of Guyana to prorogue the parliament. “In fact what the president did, it was faced with a no-confidence motion which if was passed would immediately see the country going to elections within three months.
What the president sought to do by proroguing the parliament is to preserve its life and he can only do that for up to six months to invite the opposition to dialogue because what happens if you go to elections and you have the same results then you still have to dialogue and so it’s because of that, given that the president wanted an opportunity and one last chance to try to dialogue with the opposition that the parliament was prorogued,” Rodrigues-Birkett said.
She added that the offer for dialogue was not accepted and the president has since announced that elections will be held on May 11.
The minister also dismissed the claim by the Netherlands that because of the prorogation, the debate on the follow-up of the UPR recommendations was prevented. She said that the select committee was still doing its work so the debate in the National Assembly on those issues were not yet ready to happen. She added that while the committee had not yet concluded its work, it is their hope to take back those issues to the National Assembly just after elections when it is reconvened.
Ghana and South Africa also called for greater inclusion of Guyanese of African descent in society. Ghana urged Guyana to “implement more appropriate measures to build an inclusive society, in which no segment of the population, notably the Afro Guyanese who constitute 30% of the population, do not suffer discrimination” while South African representative Tsholofelo Glenda Tsheole recommended that Guyana “strengthen efforts to ensure that people of African descent participate and integrate in the economic, political, social and cultural spheres of Guyanese society.”
In response, Rodrigues-Birkett said that in the makeup of government, parliament and public servants, there is representation from all of the different groups in society. “It is very difficult to have more than 30% of your population not involved in your society and this is something that we want to do for all of our people, involvement of all our people but we have noted the recommendation,” she said.
