WPA to advocate for press freedom legislation

Last Updated on Thursday, 18 September 2025, 22:19 by Writer

The Working People’s Alliance (WPA) on Wednesday said it would use its one seat to press for legislation guaranteeing press freedom, a day after concerns were raised about the exclusion of several media houses from President Irfaan Ali’s press conference.

“We think the parliament can come in and play an important role in legislating protection for journalists, protection for the media,” Professor David Hinds, WPA’s parliamentary representative within the umbrella A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), told a news conference.

Admitting that it might be tough to secure changes under a system in which a simple majority can be used to pass or defeat bills, he was less than optimistic that APNU, with its 12 seats, can convince the majority 36-seat People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPPC) to greenlight the opposition’s proposed laws. “Now we are not sure whether we will be able to sway our colleagues on the government side to go down that direction, but at least we will go on record as fighting for those things. So we intend to use the parliament as a form of resistance against government accession,” said Professor Hinds, the WPA co-leader. 

Though a number of media houses does not treat the WPA fairly by failing to cover its press conferences, Professor Hinds still believes that all media must be insulated from the wrath of the president and his government. Despite the fact that international election observers had criticised the government’s misuse of the publicly-funded state-owned media for electioneering to the disadvantage of its political opponents, the WPA co-leader said the president silenced a section of the media. “It is reprehensible, it is not in keeping with democratic norms, and it further sinks Guyana into a category of an elected autocracy,” he also said.

Professor Hinds said when the media are silenced, democracy is buried, a concern that should be shared by all right-thinking Guyanese.

He also said the WPA would drive its advocacy for proper management of the oil sector, including the establishment of a national oil company, legally mandated disbursements of cash grants and transfers, and the fight against poverty.

A number of media houses have complained that they were not invited to the president’s press conference on Tuesday although they have presidentially accredited media houses.

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