at that time

micevan1l6

… Allows his newspaper to dominate Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, hosted a press conference at Freedom House yesterday and spoke for just over an hour before he fielded his first question. Yet he limited questions from Kaieteur News reporters.Opposition Leader, Bharrat JagdeoThe first question he accepted was posed by a reporter attached to the newspaper he owns with his best friend, Dr Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Jagdeo entertained two questions from that reporter.The moderator, Zulfikar Mustapha then asked if any other reporter wished to pose further questions. The two reporters representing Kaieteur News at the press conference simultaneously indicated, by raised hands, that they wished to question the Opposition Leader.The two were the only reporters in the room who indicated, at that time, their interest to pose questions so Jagdeo allowed one of the reporters to ask questions.When that reporter finished, the other Kaieteur News representative attempted to pose questions to Jagdeo after receiving permission to do so by the moderator. However, Jagdeo said, “No, no, no, you cannot ask any question. Your colleague already asked questions.”He then asked if any other reporter wished to take the floor. After taking questions from one other media house, Jagdeo again allowed the reporter from his newspaper to ask further questions. This occurred even with objections from the Kaieteur News reporter who was deprived of asking questions.At that stage the reporter simply walked out.The reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how could he criticize the government for not offering an increase in salary for workers of a dying sugar industry knowing that his investment in an almost useless Skeldon plant was one of the major wounds inflicted on the industry.The reporter wanted Jagdeo to explain why he is so obsessed with Glenn Lall, the Kaieteur News Publisher, to the point where his only concern about the broadcasting sector, based on his opening statement, is that Lall seems aggrieved that he has not yet been granted a radio licence. Jagdeo totally ignored the fact that the Board of the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is under investigations for corruption.The discord on that Board and the stalled progress were of no interest to Jagdeo. The reporter wanted to know how Jagdeo has no concern about the fact that the Board has done nothing to improve the broadcast sector since its appointment.The reporter also wanted Jagdeo to speak about the wealth he has accumulated during his political career and has stored in an overseas account.Also, the reporter wanted to ask Jagdeo how is it that he can criticize this government about corrupt deals when he supervised some of the most corrupt projects and negotiated the most questionable deals during his presidential tenure.Those questions remain unanswered.