Dr Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed displeasure with certain sections of the media for mischaracterizing his recent speech at Babu Jaan, Region Six, in honour of the party’s founder and former president, Dr Cheddi Jagan.
In a press conference held at the President’s Office on Thursday, he explained that he wasn’t targeting individuals who questioned the party’s record but rather those who spread misinformation and falsehoods about the government’s policies and initiatives.
According to Jagdeo, Guyana is a free country where everyone is welcome to run in the upcoming elections. He reminds that the PPP/C administration created such an environment.
“We have fought for the freedom for people to contest elections. But if you distort our track record, and we may not be as vocal about defending our track record now… don’t believe that it’s weakness that we’re doing this out of. At the appropriate time, we’ll respond,” he said.
He went on to emphasise, “That’s not a threat to anyone. You’re free to join the political realm. That’s the kind of country we have, but you can’t be thin-skinned when you get criticised too.”
Also, VP Jagdeo expressed concern about the highly politicized media environment the government has faced since taking office in 2020.
“Their objective is political. They go around flashing media credentials and saying: oh, you’re hostile to media,” the vice president stated.
The vice president said the government remains committed to engaging with the media despite this.
Previously, Dr Jagdeo expressed concern that the constant lies and misinformation circulating in the public domain are taking away time that might be spent addressing social welfare and policies.
“It’s really tough to tackle policy-related issues in an environment where you don’t have an opposition that speaks to policy on a weekly basis. It’s into gimmicks, and then you have a section of the media,” he had bemoaned.