Health Minister chases media from Guyana/Suriname signing

Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran went into a rage yesterday and revoked an invitation to the media for which, neither he nor his Ministry was responsible. His only involvement or that of his Ministry with respect to the engagement was the provision of transportation for the members of the media.
In the end, the two reporters from GINA, two from Guyana Times, one from MTV, two from NCN and one from the Guyana Chronicle, were kicked out by Ramsaran.
On Friday media outlets received an invitation from the Caricom Secretariat to provide coverage of the signing of a declaration by the Ministers of Health of Guyana and Suriname. The venue for the signing was the Skeldon Guysuco Sugar Estate Training Room in Corentyne, Berbice.
The press invitation stated that the hosts of the event were the Pan Caribbean Partnership Against HIV and AIDS (PANCAP) coordinating unit, German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ) and the Ministry of Health of Guyana.
Yesterday morning a few media operatives showed up at the Ministry of Health in Georgetown and were transported to the Caricom Annex at Turkeyen where they were joined by other media operatives. Two other Ministry of Health vehicles were there awaiting the delegation that included Suriname’s Minister of Health Dr. Michel Bolkland, to make its way under police escort from the Princess Hotel, Providence, East Bank Demerara.
The delegation eventually then arrived at the Caricom Annex at Turkeyen where the vehicles from the Ministry of Health joined the convoy and began the journey to Skeldon.
While at Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara, the convoy stopped.  Two media houses had been left behind as they showed up late. The Minister of Health then ordered that one of the vehicles from the convoy return for those left behind.
While on the Corentyne Coast, a female reporter asked the driver to pull over at a convenient point so that she could grab something to eat since she had not eaten for the day given the time she was required to leave home for the assignment.
The driver obliged and once the stop was made the reporters took a conscious decision to take away their order. They knew that there was a signing that had to be covered although it was almost three hours before the signing.
The release that was sent out by the Caribbean Secretariat stipulated that the media was invited to provide coverage of the signing but based on what this publication was told, the Guyanese Health Minister Dr. Bheri Ramsaran was more interested in having full coverage of the entire event.
When the Minister was informed that the team made an emergency stop to facilitate a reporter he became very upset and suggested that the vehicle go back to Georgetown.
Not taking any chances, the team nevertheless proceeded to Skeldon only to hear the Minister’s voice. “Take them back to Georgetown. I no longer want them here”
Seconds later, the Minister with his hands in his pocket and being clearly upset told the media that their presence was no longer needed and that they had a foreign minister and himself waiting for them while they decided to stop and dine.
Kaieteur News was also told that as the media operatives were getting ready to leave the compound a staffer from the Caricom Secretariat questioned why the media was leaving. After she was told that the Minister said that he no longer wanted the media or had uses for them at the event she became upset.
The woman said that the Minister had no right to send the media away since neither he nor his ministry invited them to the signing. The woman said that the media was invited by the Caricom Secretariat. She then ventured upstairs where the proceedings were ongoing to question the Minister’s decision.
A member of staff of the Ministry told her that they were going to take the photos with their phones and send those to the respective media houses.