Prime Minister Mark Phillips believes there is still a role for state media in the effective communication of the PPP/C government’s developmental plans.
It is also critical, he said, to public service announcements in emergencies such as the now COVID-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister, who holds responsibility for the state media was asked in a recent interview by Stabroek News about widely held views here that state media over the last few decades have been abused by the government in office including the PPP/C.
Phillips was questioned on the government’s plans for the state media and if the state should still be owners in this area where a range of private media are involved.
“The main thrust of state media over the next five years will be to communicate government’s developmental plans to the wider Guyanese society. For example, ample use is made of the state media at present, to make our people better aware of COVID-19 and the measures that will aid government’s plans to fight the spread of the disease,” he asserted.
“We believe that there is a role for state media as we govern, and we see the private media as having a complementary role in the development of Guyana,” he added.
With press freedom coming under attack in this country in various ways over the years, Phillips was also asked what he would do to prevent this.
He said that the PPP/C government “remains committed to freedom of the press” and that it will ensure that the state media aren’t used as a political tool.
“We will certainly not encourage any abuse of the state media – it will not be used as a political tool like it was used prior to us assuming office. It will be used to communicate and support our developmental plans. Our objective is to have a well-informed Guyanese society,” he stressed.
Phillips also assured that he will be communicating with the media as necessary and expressed thanks to the fourth estate for its role during the recent five-month general elections crisis.
He said that had it not been for the press and pressure from the diplomatic community, he does not believe that his party would have been in government today.
He reflected on the five-month crisis and the wait for results saying that at one time he thought that APNU+AFC would not have handed over power.
“At times I thought so. But remember, we had to struggle as a political party and as a people to ensure democracy prevailed and the rule of law was upheld,” he said.
“If it was not for the press and pressures of the diplomatic community, mainly the A, B, C and EU ambassadors, CARICOM leaders and regional and international diplomatic pressures, we would not have been in government today. We must always remember this as we govern in Guyana,” he added.
Transparently
Like Phillips, Minister with responsibility for Public Affairs within the Office of the Prime Minister, Kwame McCoy has also said that government believes that there is a place in Guyana for state media but that they must be transparently and efficiently managed, promises he says it will keep.
McCoy holds responsibility for the state media which includes NCN, GNNL which produces the Guyana Chronicle, and the Department of Public Information (DPI) and has said that state media would not be used as a political tool.
“The state media won’t be used as a political tool. It is understandable that any government would have an advantage in the state media. So we might too because a large part of its responsibility is to inform plans for nationalistic objectives, promote unifying programmes among other initiatives,” he said.
With more than half a billion dollars allocated in the 2020 Budget to boost state media capacities, McCoy said that a plan for the overhauling of the agencies will soon begin and will look at the human resource capacity.
“We want to start with a human resource audit because you have to know what we have in the system and if it would facilitate the objectives for the plan we have. It is the same for any business model, you want to know the skillsets of your personnel to effectively plan so it ensures that your goals are met. So assessing human resources is first to be looked at”, he said.
“Also, on the side of the capacity of the company, we will look at what they have in terms of equipment and to upgrade the technology to meet international standards. And while we will simultaneously be assessing all the agencies, our focus for revamping will first see NCN being worked on. I believe that NCN has to be, at the least, the national yardstick for what quality broadcast is. Our vision is to lead, not only Guyana but the Caribbean in broadcasting. To do that we have to retool the entire place and invest in equipment, personnel, ensure proper management and that there be professionalism in the execution of the operation,” he added.
McCoy said that although there are a number of areas that can be highlighted, he would not be focusing on the ineptitude and mismanagement of the agencies during the past five years under the APNU+AFC “because now is the time to just get the job done and talking about what should have been…. We will act and be judged on those actions,” he said.
During its term in office from 1992 to 2015, PPP/C governments had been routinely accused of exploiting the state media and encouraging sordid attacks on opponents and independent figures.
