President Irfaan Ali has promised that he and his ministers will be having regular engagements with both the media and the public.
“We will have post-Cabinet briefs and the president… is committed to having regular press conferences, because communicating with the public is an area he takes very seriously,” Minister of Public Affairs Kwame McCoy told the Stabroek News.
“It is not just engaging with the press but it goes further as he plans more engagement and communication mediums with the public. Bringing information to the public in a timely manner is of utmost importance to the president,” he added.
Former president David Granger had faced criticism over his limited engagement with the press during his time in office, including only holding two press conferences by the time he completed his first three years in office.
Granger had said his lack of press engagements were because of the nature of his duties. “As Leader of the Opposition, I had more frequent engagements with the media. And I would like to have more frequent engagements with the media now but one of the problems that face me now is scheduling. And I’m not trying to kick the ball down the road, but it is sometimes very, very difficult to schedule press conferences as frequently as I like,” he had explained.
On interactions with Guyana’s citizenry, especially his own constituency, Granger was called out for “aloofness”. Many of his party’s supporters have bemoaned his lack of communication with them, even during the recent elections campaign and when he accepted the final declaration by the Guyana Elections Commission.
Ali told this newspaper on the sidelines of his attendance of the celebration of Krishna Janamashtmi at the Crane Hare Krishna Temple two weeks ago that taking the public for granted and ignoring calls for communication would not be a mistake his government makes. He also said that he would ensure that there is access to both him and his ministers because public trust and accountability starts with effective communication.
McCoy echoed most of what the president said as he pointed out that he has an open door policy. “Anyone that asks for my number [is] given it. I am here to listen and I am here to serve. We [the government] are here to serve the people,” he said.
“Some persons may say that it may be too much for me but I can manage and for me it is a challenge also. So communication and public access to information is something, as a government, we continue to pursue,” he added.
