World Press Freedom Day message

Today marks a watershed moment across the world, as we observe and celebrate 30
years since democracies united behind the common imperative, of ensuring that
nations make provisions for the free and unfettered operations of the press.
World Press Freedom Day, proclaimed by the United Nations General assembly
three decades ago, serves each year as a reminder to governments of their
commitment. It was also positioned as a day of reflection among media
professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.
The United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization-UNESCO has indicated
that this year’s theme, “Information as a Public Good” was designed to serve as a
call to affirm the importance of cherishing information as a public good, and
exploring what can be done in the production, distribution and reception of content
to strengthen journalism, and to advance transparency and empowerment while
leaving no one behind.
Today, countries who are signatories of the ‘Windhoek declaration’ that
commenced the observance, will be focusing discussions around issues concerning

the economic viability of news media; mechanisms to ensure transparency of
internet companies; and enhanced media and information literacy capabilities that
enable people to recognize and value, as well as defend and demand professional
journalism, as a vital part of information as a public good.
His Excellency Dr. Mohammed Irfaan Ali has committed to fulfilling our party’s
manifesto promise of strengthening media freedoms and expanding its reach in his
first term of office, to ensure that all Guyanese, regardless of their geographic
location, will have access to information.
In fact, it was the PPP/Civic government that created the first ever constitutional
office of ‘Commissioner of Information’ which allowed for free public access to
all state information. This office was dismantled by the Granger led Coalition
government in its first few months, a travesty which President Ali is committed to
reversing and restoring shortly.
Today, as the government introspects on its policies and positions of press
freedom, rest assured that our principles and commitment will remain steadfast
even as we expect that the Guyanese media fraternity to do likewise and recommit
to raising the bar of professionalism and ethics with due regard to the ‘public good’
that information should serve.

Since returning to office late last year, the PPP/C government has already taken an
impressive menu of measures to demonstrate our commitment…

With due regard to our affirmations and commitments to ‘press freedoms’ under
the various United Nations resolutions, His Excellency President Ali has included
a Ministerial portfolio for Public Affairs within the Cabinet, with functional scope
and authority within the Office of the Prime Minister… the portfolio which I
currently hold.
The portfolio Minister and indeed no less than the Office of the Prime Minister, are
charged with all aspects of information generation and dissemination across all media
platforms, including online; to enable, encourage, facilitate, safeguard and protect its
free flow without exception; and to collaborate across all sectors to build capacity,
increase and expand skills and knowledge; and all aspects of Telecommunication,
including the strengthening and expansion of national infrastructure and supporting
mechanisms, and including the liberalization of the industry, national frequencies and
attendant platforms…

A mere two months since taking office, The Office of the Prime Minister formally
announced the total and complete liberalization of the Telecommunication Sector,

effectively ending decades of commercial monopoly. You would recall, I’m sure,
our freeing up of the broadcast airwaves prior to 2015… you can expect that policy
to continue now and well into the future…

A return to the national One Laptop Per Family programme which previously
catered to ninety thousand families prior to 2015 when the PPP/C held office, has
been included in the first substantial national budget of the government, passed in
the National Assembly this March. This programme is aimed at building a
knowledge-based society through household expansion of access to information in
all its forms. Not only are the instruments provided to low-income and vulnerable
families, but requisite training and internet access through community ICT Hubs
are facilitated under this programme…

Training of new journalists and broadcasters, including women, for absorption
across both the public and private media spectrums will be undertaken. Capacity
building through industry training and international scholarships, including for
online work, are being facilitated for direct benefit to members of Guyanese media
fraternity and indeed all Guyanese. These awards form part of a five-year
programme that will facilitate twenty thousand scholarships across a wide array of
academic and skill-based disciplines…

A Broadcast Academy will be established, to facilitate world class industry
professional training and exposure for current and new broadcasters…

The government is facilitating full access to the free press on a regular basis on
state matters and those related to the COVID 19 Pandemic and has already taken
steps to strengthen relations and build capacity with the Guyana Press
Association…

The Government maintains cordial relations with press corps. In late February, The
President hosted the annual Media Brunch. In his address, President Ali told the
nation’s journalists, he believes “that in a free and open society, every view has a
value and every view must be expressed freely, but in expressing those views there
comes responsibility also” …

Directors of Public Affairs and of Digital Infrastructure and Online Engagement
have been appointed. The latter is mandated to create a national platform for open
access to government content and information by the public and the press.

As a nation committed to a free press and a signatory to the declarations of
Chapultepec and Windhoek, the Government of Guyana remains therefore
unequivocally committed to upholding the constitutional rights of its citizens to
freedom of information as a public good, and will continue to actively pursue,
develop, consider and support reasonable measures that protect and guarantee
access to, or the dissemination of information in all forms and across all media
platforms.

I therefore take this opportunity to salute all professional media workers in good
standing, particularly the veterans and stalwarts with 30 years and over of diligent,
exemplary experience in using information as a public good.
Again, congratulations and best wishes on behalf of President Ali and my cabinet
colleagues, and indeed, on behalf of all Guyana.