Senior Editor of the state-owned National Communications Network Edward Layne,has complained to the Office of the President and the Guyana Press Association that he was verbally abused by the Leader of the Alliance For Change, Khemraj Ramjattan.

In the complaint, Layne recounted that on Friday he contacted the AFC Leader to follow up on a report that Ramjattan had claimed that he was in receipt of information that there was an attempt by the Government to offer $30 Million in bribe money to three opposition members for them to vote against the no confidence motion.

According to Layne, “Mr. Ramjattan accused me of working for the PPP and rattled off a series of expletives. I proceeded to ask Mr. Ramjattan whether his utterances were his official comment, to which he answered in the affirmative and said “you publish what I said, I don’t care what you want to write, boy look haul your ass, what the r%ss you think”.

Contacted on Saturday, Ramjattan admitted telling the NCN reporter to “haul ya ass” because according to him the reporter was being a bug. He said Layne contacted him for a comment on the matter and he said he has no comment but Layne kept calling him.

“He was being a bug and I kept telling him no comment and he would call back. So when he called again, I told him do you want me to leave you with the words I would usually share with people who are harassing me, because if you do then “haul your ass”.

The AFC Leader said Layne can go to the recording of the telephone conversation if he made one and he would find out that during the conversation he never used “any expletives against him like the Attorney General” and never wanted information from him about any girl, like the Attorney General did in his recorded conversation with the Kaieteur News reporter, and never issued any threat against him or his newsroom like the Attorney General may have done in that recorded conversation involving the Attorney General and a Kaieteur News reporter.

The Guyana Press Association said it “wishes to once again call on all political parties, the governing and opposition parties, to be reminded that journalists, regardless of whether they are in the employ of the state media or the independent media, ought to be allowed to carry out their jobs in an environment that is free from fear and intimidation”.

The GPA also reminded media houses of the “responsibilities that rest on the shoulders of their workers in the execution of their duties and would like to encourage our journalists to continue to be fearless in their reporting on the issues of the day. Journalists also need to act professionally as they conduct their duties and should not allow themselves to be used for political purposes”.

File: 1st November, 2014

Related posts:

Ramjattan blasts Speaker over decision to seek advice on no-confidence motions from AG Public Security Minister apologises to GPA and media workers over “haul yuh ass” statement Press Association demands apology from “hostile” Public Security Minister AFC and APNU demand Nandlall’s removal from office