Calling it an invented issue, President Irfaan Ali yesterday made it clear that his government has no intention of spying on journalists, while saying such activity should be rooted out from free societies.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day conference and symposium to mark World Freedom Day, Ali gave the assurance in response to a call from Guyana Press Association Nazima Raghubir, who called upon him to state definitively whether his administration was “in possession of spyware or plans to acquire and use it, especially on journalists.”
“This Government has no intention whatsoever it is not in [contemplation] in my mind to move in any direction to have any spyware or anything to spy on anyone. That is furthest from my thoughts. I am not even [imagining] something like that. So take it, take it out of your imagination now,” Ali said to applause.
He added that wherever such activity existed, it should be rooted out as “no government should be spying on its population, not in the democratic construct of a free society”.
World Press Freedom is observed on May 3rd annually and this year the theme of the observance is “Journalism Under Digital Siege”.
The conference and symposium, held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, has been organised by the Office of the Prime Minister under the theme Partnerships in Communication For Development-C4D.
Threats
Raghubir, in her remarks, noted that media is facing threats as it navigates the online platform, which exposes it “to destructive intrusions by Ransomware and Spyware, which pose the severe risk of threatening the financial and technological existence of our media houses”.
She stressed that the media remains a significant partner in the development and growth of any democratic nation as its contribution can be seen as both educating and advocating.
“We have seen the media in Guyana making these contributions through its interactions with communities and its reporting at the community level as well as governance and transparency and accountability,” the GPA head said.
She noted though that the media must be given the necessary tools to do their jobs and these come not only from media owners but the atmosphere created and fostered in a country.
“We need assurances that we would be able to do our jobs without fear—fear of intimidation and or threats—and most of all the rights and freedoms associated with the work of the media must be respected at all times,” she said.
On this note, Raghubir mentioned that the GPA still feels that the Cyber Crime legislation, which criminalises how certain information is accessed, threatens the work of the media and these must be addressed.
It was at this point she called on the President to give the assurance that journalists would not be spied upon.
She also spoke of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw the media experiencing different types of challenges, including but are not limited to “access to government and other key officials necessary for gathering as well as communicating key information on the very developmental process”.
“To this end, we hope that after two years there will be more than just the commitment to return to the post-Cabinet briefings but these could actually become a reality in the near future,” she said.
‘Full Freedom’
Saying that he believes in the “full freedom of the press,” Ali said that he is open to constructive criticisms but added that he is very frank “and I would tell you as it is”.
Responding to Raghubir’s calls for the return of post-Cabinet press briefings, he acknowledged that it must be done and he is committed to having it done but also boasted that he and his government has been the most the accessible one to the media.
He also pointed out that the Cyber Crime law was passed in 2018 under the former APNU+AFC government and the then PPP/C opposition spoke out against it and offered amendments. “And the government then disregarded all of those amendments and went ahead with the bill,” he noted.
He said the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the need for accuracy when disseminating information as it demonstrated how inaccuracy can cause severe hardship on a nation. And touching on the advent of digital media, which sees news being presented in real time and it is available just by the click of a finger, President Ali said the development was important during the 2020 national elections as the world saw instantaneously “unfiltered” and “unbiased” what was occurring, eventually ensuring that the right government was sworn in.
Meanwhile, Ali said the good governance is not only applicable to the executive but also to the population and can only occur when institutions and systems all agree to conduct themselves within the framework that promotes good governance and accountability.
“Fairness, the rule of law, unless we all subscribe to these values then we would not be able to use our different professions to protect these values,” he added.
According to Ali, a challenge exists relates to journalists being responsible for what they write as he questioned how to strike that “construct that allows for responsibility in what you write…”
He said he believes that once the journalist is responsible then they would be objective and both of these require understanding and knowledge. Comparing journalists of the past to those of today, Ali opined that those in the past exhibited great knowledge in their reporting because they ensured that they read comprehensively and understood the subject matter.
He noted that journalists do not have to be specialists but they must understand the issues on which they report.
As to government’s responsibility, Ali said that governments in democracy must be able to protect those “who operate with objectivity, with impartiality and responsibility and decency with which they carry out their trade”.
“The government has to ensure that they are protected and ensure that they are able to practice their profession,” he noted.
Protection and respect must be given, he said, even when their views are different as the state needs to journalists to carry the message of the country.
According to the Head of State, there is also a need for the government to educate the journalists about the development path of the country, educate on policies, programming and global issues and this requires working together and “creating a more conducive environment that removes hostility and confrontation”.
He suggested sitting together as partners.
