Two RDC officials Stress Critical role Of ‘Fourth & Fifth Estates’

TWO TOP REGIONAL OFFICIALS BELIEVE LOCAL MEDIA CAN BE A
CATALYST for Regional and national development.
Region Six Chairman, Mr. David Armogan and Region Four Vice-Chairman, Mr. Samuel Sandy
said journalists should have unrestricted access to statutory meetings and other critical
information as part of their democratic right to inform and educate Guyanese.
Armogan and Sandy’s observations follow closely the recent armed removal of journalist Mr.
Rawle Nelson from the Demerara/Mahaica (Region Four) Regional Democratic Council (RDC)
meeting following complaints from Councillors representing both sides of the aisle.
Nelson believed police were summoned because some RDC members were wary of media
coverage of reports on the government’s distribution of COVID-19 grant to Guyanese
householders.
An armed policeman was summoned and after making threats of arrest, removed Nelson from
the monthly statutory and instructed the security to lock the gates and refuse the journalist re-
entry to the public compounds.
Sandy’s was among a minority of dissenting voices on breaching Nelson’s constitutional rights
and urged his colleagues to familiarise themselves about their new roles and responsibilities.
“I did tell the meeting that if we don’t want the media or the public to be present at our
meetings, the best thing to do is to stream it live so that the public can see what is happening.
Because of the (restrictions due to) COVID and all the protocols in place they can follow it
(online). But they (RDC members) can’t close it, (the meeting unilaterally),” Sandy said.

He reminded that there is a Pubic Gallery for residents to observe the RDC monthly meetings
and that cannot be taken away at the whims of skeptical or fearful RDC members.
“There must be an option,” Sandy said.
He said some named RDC members are crusading to lock the public and journalists out of
monthly statutory meetings.
However, “the media have a very important role in any democracy, and everybody needs to
understand that. Your (media workers) programme is not directed by us. As media personnel you
must always be objective, you tell the story as it is, you are not expected to sway the story to suit
John or Pam,’ Sandy stressed.
Sandy said the RDC cannot operate like the ‘Wild West’.
“You can’t implement new policies on the spot and have them be retroactive. If you don’t want
the public in the gallery then that policy decision should have been taken a long time, and no
decision of the RDC should be in contention with the law.”
Unlike the undemocratic inclination creeping in to RDC Four, reporters in East
Berbice/Corentyne (Region Six) have unrestricted access according to Chairman Armogan
because “ultimately the public depends on the Councilors and the media for education and
sensitisation.”
In his enlightened explanation, Armogan leaned favourably towards media disclosure apparently
dreaded by Councillors in the country’s most populated Region.
“The role of the media is to expose what is happening in the community. Not only expose, but
also to tell us about the good and bad things that are happening so that we can improve,” the
Region Six Chairman said.
He said the media help enlighten residents about development and difficulties taking place in
their communities, which the RDC by itself, cannot accomplish.

“The media’s role is critical because sometimes the messages don’t go out and so we depend on
the media to carry the messages of the RDC. We depend on the media to speak about the
development that is taking place and also to highlight some of the difficulties that we are faced
with along with, some of the negative things happening,” Armogan said.
As the ‘Fifth Estate’ Councillors must be reminded often that “the media are an extremely
important partner in the business of development,” Chairman Armogan reiterated.