The Government of Guyana is not serious about the effective implementation of the Access to Information Legislation, Editor-in-Chief of Stabroek News, Anand Persaud said, as he weighed in on the uphill battle to access information through the Office of the Commissioner of Information.

Persaud is among civil society actors, who have been protesting the Office of the Commissioner of Information due to the lack of access to information.

Under the Access to Information Act of 2011, former Attorney General and retired Appeal Court Judge, Charles Ramson Snr, was reappointed as the Commissioner of Information in 2022 by the Irfaan Ali Government.

However, despite an annual subvention of $40 million, 75% of which is paid in salaries and benefits, the Commissioner of Information has failed to submit annual reports to the National Assembly as required by law. To compound the situation, citizens and journalists alike have found it extremely difficult to access information through his office.

In an interview that will air this Sunday on SOURCES, Mr. Persaud said the Government is aiding the Commissioner of Information, and it is now clear that it has no interest in effective implementation of the Access to Information Legislation.  

“It makes no sense to have Access to Information legislation, if your intention is just to have it not function. And that is what I am accusing the government of here, is that they have Access to Information legislation, and their intention is to have it not function, and which is why they have turned a blind eye and had the gall in the last Parliament sitting to throw their hands up in the air, and say, what you want us to do if he is not delivering these things. This is exactly what you want; you are allowing it to go that way because if you were serious about Access to Information you would have taken action,” Persaud said.

Noting that information is the lifeblood of journalism, the Stabroek News Editor-in-Chief said it is was important for him to take a public stance on the issue.

He said when the Government or public institutions fail to provide information, citizens should be able to access that information through the Office of the Commissioner of Information under the Access to Information Act.

Citing an example, he pointed to the Government’s refusal to release the report on the 2023 Guyana Defence Force (GDF) helicopter crash that claimed the lives of five members of the military.

“A prime example of that would be the report on the helicopter crash where a number of senior GDF people died and even though they had promised that this report would have been made available, it hasn’t been made available. And they have changed from one story to the next; they are now saying it is clarified information but there are ways reports like that could be sanitized and elements that should be dangerous could be removed but their intention is not to provide that. So, here where you don’t have the ability to get it from the Government or the agency that is responsible, you then should be able to go to the Commissioner of Information,” Persaud explained.

Persaud said despite the existing challenges, journalists must continue to mobilize and agitate for access to information.

 One of the most recent requests for information was submitted by Red Thread Organisation in February.

The civil society organization requested access to official documents related to the criminal investigation into a rape allegation against former Minister of Local Government, Nigel Dharamlall.

The request was declined, with the Commissioner Information indicating that according to the Laws, his Office is a “clearing house,” not a warehouse or storage bond for anyone’s convenience.

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