The Guyana Press Association and journalists in Guyana are calling on the Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, to immediately lift his restrictions on media access to provide coverage of the Parliament.

Members of the media turning up Arthur Chung Conference Centre for the start of the budget debate today were informed that only five journalists will be allowed access into the National Assembly, and they must first lodge their National ID Cards or Driver’s License before that access is granted.

Members of the media were also informed that only the cameras of the Department of Public Information, which has been reportedly contracted by the Parliament, will be allowed  video recording access in the National Assembly.

In response, the Guyana Press Association condemned the actions of the speaker as an attack on press freedom.

The Press Association said the Speaker’s decision to only allow access to the National Assembly to five journalists represents a significant reduction from previous years, when up to 17 reporters were accommodated within Parliament Buildings to cover sessions.

The Association said it is difficult to comprehend why fewer reporters are now permitted in a much larger space.

Additionally, it noted that the absence of a direct feed from the cameras inside the Assembly is unacceptable.

Media houses were told that they will be provided with a link from the Department of Public Information, but there exists no such link and the media is being made to wait on the social media live streaming to end to be able to access the video recordings.

The GPA reminded the National Assembly that the role of the press is to ensure transparency, accountability, and accurate reporting of parliamentary business. It said restricting access and failing to provide proper technical facilities undermines the public’s right to be informed.

A number of senior journalists including the Chief Editor of News Source, Gordon Moseley, have condemned the position of the Speaker and have called for his restrictions on press access to the National Assembly to be lifted.

The Speaker at the start of today’s sitting commented on the issue and sought to defend his decision by referencing an agreement that was made on media coverage six years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I want to make it pellucid, that we have actually expanded from 5 to 7 members of the private media, because most of them are using their phones to do the recording. So, our PR department reached out and said that two persons with the cameras could be replaced with two additional reporters who would be allowed to use their phones as they have been doing to record, it is being made out that this expansion of access to the National Assembly is a restriction”, Nadir said.

The Speaker said while the restrictions are still in place, several state media workers are also being prevented from covering the Parliament from inside, adding that Parliament has contracted an audio/visual company to stream the sitting, where it could be viewed by journalists.

That contracted audio visual company is the publicly funded, Department of Public Information.

“I want to reinforce that we pride ourselves on access and we will continue to provide access to the proceedings of the National Assembly,” the Speaker noted.

Ahead of the presentation of the National Budget last week, the President of the Guyana Press Association raised her initial concerns about the issue with the Speaker, but he did not budge from his position to keep the restrictions in place.

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