Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Oct 09, 2009 News
…Guyana Times obviously aligned to them – Corbin
The Government is discriminating in the distribution of advertisement to a company (Guyana Times) that is obviously aligned to them.
This is according to Leader of the Peoples National Congress Reform (PNCR) Robert Corbin who was commenting on the questionable distribution of Government advertisements over the recent five months.
Stabroek News (SN) in a six-month analysis of the government advertisements placed in the daily newspaper, found that while the allocations of advertisements to Kaieteur News (KN) plummeted to some extent advertisements allocated to Guyana Times (GT) escalated to the point that up to last month it was getting more than Kaieteur News despite the fact that its circulation is negligible.
“SN has analysed the distribution of Government Information Agency (GINA) advertisements between April and September this year. In April when no GINA ads were going to Guyana Times, the apportioning of ads among the three daily newspapers, the Guyana Chronicle, SN and Kaieteur News was as follows: 37%, 34% and 29.3% respectively.”
According to Corbin, the government is seemingly comfortable in the indulgence in discrimination of the awards of contracts adding that Guyanese would be misguided to take anything that (Bharrat) Jagdeo says seriously.
“He has become a laughing stock.”
He noted that the administration has in the past been exposed in the case of several contracts where there was not value for money.
“Kaieteur News must be commended. It has done an excellent job by doing case studies by showing that we are not getting value for money in some instances.”
According to Corbin in the establishment of the new media company (Guyana Times), in the Parliament and in the press, it was exposed that there were many irregular practices in the favour of that company.
Corbin however pointed out that the arrogance with which the administration run the affairs of the country has shown that public opinion, illegality and expose have “failed to move this government to do the decent thing in this country.”
According to Corbin there have been numerous instances that suggest that public opinion does not matter to the administration.
“So while we raise issue we are not convinced that administration will move…until people of Guyana make most import ant decision and remove them from office.”
Recently the Leader of the Alliance for Change, Raphael Trotman, said his party believes that if there is to be a free press in Guyana that is truly the fourth estate, it should receive government advertisements without favour, ill will, or discrimination being used to decide who gets and how much.
He recalled that when challenged by Stabroek News (SN) and Kaieteur News (KN) about the allocation of Government advertisements, “the President in particular said he was using the yardstick of proportionality based on distribution numbers.”
Trotman said, “I am aware that the Guyana Times (GT) is given out freely in many hinterland locations…We have no issue with GT receiving advertisements but the President’s yardstick must apply…What is good for one must be good for all.”
He stated that this latest confirmation of discriminatory practices should be viewed against the backdrop of comments made by the President at the Private Sector Commission dinner regarding KN.
Jagdeo had accused the Private Sector operatives of aiding and abetting what he called the sensationalising of the news, since they advertise with this newspaper.
Trotman noted, “We all have to accept that there is a plain and calculated move afoot not only to assist GT in any way possible, but also to suffocate KN and SN and thus muzzle press freedom.”
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