Among the many items on the varied ‘to do’ list for Guyana’s new government, the problem of falling standards in our society is being raised frequently by social commentators, and in the very early days following the election President Granger has raised this matter, both specifically and by alluding to it, in several of his speeches. Indeed, even as the Inauguration of the President was taking place in the National Stadium, various social media commentators, then and since, have expressed strong concern about the lack of professionalism and polish in the broadcast of the event.
Low standards can be seen in many areas in Guyana – potholed roads; inefficient government departments; overworked health facilities; erratic public transport services; etc – and the outcry from the public commentators concerning how we show ourselves to the world on television indicates it needs to be added to our ‘to do’ list.
There were frequent lapses in the Presidential Inauguration broadcast clearly demonstrating that our national television outlet is probably lacking in the range of its equipment and, perhaps, in certain trained personnel.
From the outside one cannot tell how much of this can be attributed to lack of funding, but the deficiencies were obviously on display going around the world on television screens as the afternoon unfolded. Early in the broadcast, several local singers took to the stage performing energetically before the packed venue, but the televised event carried only the vocal – no musical accompaniment could be heard, not even a kick drum. In the Stadium, it seemed the music audio was reaching the crowd, but it was absent from the TV.
Anyone involved with the presentation of live music anywhere can tell you that the technical ability involved here is minimal; it essentially requires a technician connecting a standard cable to a standard mixer to allow the music to have two signals – one for the venue, and one for broadcast. It’s possible for the lapse to occur once – someone accidentally dislodged the cable – but for it to happen to three consecutive singers, with an MC announcing each, is incomprehensible. Wasn’t anyone in the control room listening to the TV feed? Additionally, no thought was given to backdrops for these performers, so what we were treated with in the background was the ragged appearance of various wandering personnel or attendants, and the MC was so casually dressed he looked like a stagehand.
Cutaways from the stage, to present on-field commentary, seemed to be done ad hoc, with several of the commentaries being picked up in progress, and returns to the stage were done in the same way. On-field commentators seemed uncertain as to where to stand or when to speak and often ended up cleverly cueing each other. Several times in the live broadcast, the presentation switched to recorded video of patriotic songs, perhaps to allow for equipment change, but only resulting in disruptions to the audience at home, not to mention dismay to those inside the venue. During the entertainment pieces performed live, apart from one general introductory comment, there were no broadcasters explaining to the audience what a particular presentation was about or commenting on the various themes in use. The announcement of the much-awaited list of national awards, delivered by Mr Vic Persaud, began with the gentleman sitting confidently before the microphone, but as he spoke no sound could be heard. It was almost a minute into Mr Persaud’s oration before the audio was belatedly turned on.
Esteemed Guyanese Shridath ‘Sonny’ Ramphal had come to the Inauguration with a pertinent, measured speech, in the gentleman’s usual style, but when it came time to deliver it there was no properly assigned set, not even a microphone on a stand. Instead an NCN employee stood next to Mr Ramphal holding a cordless microphone. While the young lady remained there bravely smiling throughout, the spectacle on television was distracting, unprofessional, and, ultimately, embarrassing. Mr Ramphal must have been incensed at this treatment; where were the Protocol Officers?
The biggest jolt, however, came in the highlight of the evening – the speech of incoming President Granger – which was delivered, not from a raised platform, or from a specially-created area, but from within the stands. This was a Presidential Inauguration, a signal event; it happens only once every five years. A special backdrop should have been created for Mr Granger, with pertinent design relating to Guyana, perhaps on a special stage on the field, or at least in a discrete area with a proper TV set accommodation. As it turned out, behind President Granger, we were seeing persons in conversation, or struggling with children, even waving to other persons, even as the President delivered his long-awaited remarks. Where, one must ask again, were the Protocol Officers? Who looked at this format in the planning stages for the presentation of the Inaugural Address and approved it? To be fair to the participants, rumour has it that there was only one rehearsal for this very elaborate show with a complexity of issues – sound, lighting, singers, dancers, access, placement, cues, commentary, etc – that must have been staggering. How could someone have envisioned such an exercise succeeding with scant rehearsal, particularly with rain in the offing? A possible explanation is that our standards in so many areas, including those mentioned here, have gradually fallen so low over time that we have come to treat that lower standard as acceptable; that “it can wuk so.” One has to hope that the process of restoring standards that President Granger is calling for will come about; to employ one of the election slogans, it is time.
