Dodging the media – Kaieteur News

(Kaieteur News) – In every democracy, there comes a defining moment when a leader must stand before the people, not behind a camera, not through a carefully edited video, and certainly not shielded by aides or political surrogates. The MV Barima disaster, the worst maritime tragedy in Guyana’s modern history, is such a moment.

Yet, nearly two weeks after the catastrophe claimed 73 confirmed lives, with dozens still missing, President Irfaan Ali has not subjected himself to a single open press conference. Instead, the nation has received polished video statements, while the Prime Minister has carried the burden of facing the media. Even the swearing-in of the Commission of Inquiry was kept from the local press, with journalists reduced to watching a Facebook livestream after the event had begun.

This is not transparency. It is communication by control.

The President insists that Guyana deserves “a full, fair and impartial account” of what happened aboard the MV Barima. On that point, he is absolutely correct. But the search for truth does not begin only with a Commission of Inquiry. It begins with openness from those who govern.

A Commission of Inquiry cannot answer why the President himself refuses to face legitimate questions from the independent press. It cannot explain why journalists were excluded from an event of immense national significance. Nor can it substitute for political accountability.

The Office of the President appears increasingly comfortable speaking to the public while avoiding speaking with the public.

That distinction matters.

Democracy is not strengthened when information flows in only one direction. Livestreams are presentations, not conversations. Video statements cannot ask follow-up questions. They cannot challenge contradictions. They cannot press for clarity where answers are vague or incomplete. Journalism exists precisely because governments should never be left to interview themselves.

This pattern did not begin with the Barima tragedy. It has become a defining characteristic of this administration’s relationship with sections of the independent media.

Over the years, critics have been branded enemies, legitimate questions dismissed as political attacks, and independent media houses subjected to hostility that has become almost routine. Government agencies have frequently issued lengthy rebuttals attacking newspapers instead of addressing the substance of their reporting. The tone has often been combative rather than constructive.

That is unhealthy in any democracy.

The role of the press is not to comfort governments. It is to question them, especially when citizens are grieving and demanding answers.

No President enjoys uncomfortable questions. But discomfort is part of democratic leadership. Leaders who welcome applause but resent scrutiny misunderstand the office they occupy.

History has repeatedly shown that governments do not lose credibility because journalists ask difficult questions. They lose credibility when they avoid answering them.

Today, families continue to bury loved ones. Others still wait for bodies that may never be recovered. Questions persist over the vessel’s seaworthiness, regulatory oversight, passenger manifests and official responsibility. These are not political questions. They are matters of public interest involving lives lost and public confidence shattered.

The President should not wait for the Commission’s final report before facing the nation through an unrestricted press conference. Doing so would not compromise the inquiry. It would demonstrate respect for the people and confidence in his own administration.

Strong leaders do not hide behind livestreams. They stand before the microphones, face every question, and trust that truth can withstand scrutiny.

The grieving families of the Barima deserve answers.

The Guyanese people deserve accountability.

And the independent media deserve access, not exclusion.