Dr. David Hines: Excluding Press from Presidential Conference Is “Burying Democracy”
By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News.
Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr. David Hines, has condemned the Irfaan Ali administration for what he described as the deliberate exclusion of accredited media houses from President Ali’s first press conference since his re-election.
Dr. Hines charged that silencing members of the press is tantamount to “burying democracy,” stressing that the media plays a crucial role in holding the government accountable.
“The media are the institution that makes a difference in terms of getting the government to address issues. And so when you silence the media in that way, you’re burying democracy,” he stated during a WPA press briefing on Wednesday.
According to Hines, excluding recognized outlets such as Stabroek News, HGP Nightly News, Capitol News, News Room, Prime News, Guyana Standard, and Big Smith News Watch is “reprehensible” and signals troubling governance practices to come.
He argued that the move borders on an “elected autocracy” and risks further eroding democratic norms in Guyana.
His remarks come just days after Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urged President Ali to take concrete steps to improve press freedom during his new five-year term. The Paris-based press freedom watchdog called on the government to end hostility toward independent media and to prioritize freedom of the press.
Dr. Hines cautioned that the exclusion of critical voices immediately after elections is not in keeping with democratic principles and warned it may set the tone for the administration’s approach to governance.
