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In a democratic society, the press is often heralded as the guardian of truth, the watchdog of the powerful, and the voice of the people. However, in Guyana, the role of too many of the members of the local press has been increasingly perverted, morphing into a vehicle for the trivialization of the legitimate aspirations of African Guyanese. This manipulation is not only an affront to journalistic integrity but also a calculated assault on the African community’s quest for equity and justice.
A disturbing trend in the local press is the relentless focus on the 2020 elections, with a persistent narrative that echoes the PPP government’s claims of APNU ‘rigging’ This fixation albeit while a court decision is pending, eschews fair and balanced reporting while conveniently overlooking the well-founded allegations that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has rigged elections not just in 2020, but also in 2015 and 2011 and years prior. Least we forget the 1997 election which was vitiated by the court and 2006 when GECOM gave the AFC Region 10 seat to (PPP) Sam Hinds. In 2011 GECOM attempted again to rig in PPP favour but Vincent Alexander halted the effort. The evidence of rigging in 2020 was clear as day in PPP strongholds
Especially insidious is the media’s parroting of the ‘rigging’ narrative, even as they point out PPP’s vile corruption. This approach is about imploring the PPP to be a ‘better’ party while reinforcing the idea that neither the PNCR nor the APNU is a realistic alternative to the PPP in spite of the PPP’s own history of extrajudicial killings, political murders, incarceration of political enemies, money laundering and massive and pervasive corruption at every level of government.
Those in the press who persist with the aforementioned narratives are guilty of gaslighting the African community, effectively dismissing their concerns and struggles as the rantings of sore losers rather than acknowledging the reality of pervasive and structural oppression and racial discrimination, with the goal of creating a permanent underclass of African Guyanese.
Moreover, the local press has been conspicuously silent on the unresolved issue of extrajudicial killings, a scourge that has disproportionately affected African Guyanese and perpetrated under consecutive PPP governments. This silence is deafening, especially in a nation where state-sponsored violence has a long and bloody history. The lack of critical coverage on this issue cannot simply be described as an oversight—for it is a deliberate act of suppression, one that seeks to erase the systemic injustices that continue to plague African communities.
Adding insult to injury, there is a deliberate forgetfulness in the press regarding the PPP’s history of murders and unlawful imprisonments. The list of atrocities committed under their watch is long and horrifying, yet it is rarely discussed in the mainstream media. This selective memory serves the interests of the ruling party, ensuring that their past crimes are not brought to light, while the African community’s demand for justice is trivialized.
One of the most glaring examples of media bias is the sterile regurgitation of PPP reports on the Mocha eviction, even as East Indian loyalists are being allocated commercial lands where African Guyanese have lived for generations. The press’s refusal to critically engage with this issue or to highlight the racial undertones of these evictions is a clear indication of their complicity in the government’s agenda. Instead of serving as a platform for the dispossessed to voice their grievances, the media has become a mouthpiece for the oppressors, further entrenching the racial divide.
The silence surrounding the lack of contracts awarded to African Guyanese, despite damning reports released by Nigel Hughes, is yet another example of how the press is failing its duty to the people. In a country where economic opportunities are unevenly distributed along racial lines, the media’s unwillingness to expose this injustice is tantamount to an endorsement of systemic racism. By choosing not to highlight these issues, the press is aiding and abetting the government in its efforts to marginalize African Guyanese.
Perhaps most damning of all is the media’s reluctance to discuss the plight of African Guyanese within the context of racial discrimination. The issues facing the African community—be it land dispossession, economic marginalization, or state violence—are inextricably linked to race. Yet, the press remains unwilling to confront this reality, opting instead to present these issues as isolated incidents rather than symptoms of a larger, more insidious problem. This refusal to engage with the racial dynamics at play is a disservice to African Guyanese—it is also a betrayal of the principles of truth and justice that the press is supposed to uphold.
