Round Two of Presidential Debates in limbo
November 12, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
…Opposition Candidates suspicious of NCN’s impartiality
The Presidential Candidates for the upcoming Regional and General Elections created history on Thursday last when for the first time in almost 20 years they provided the electorate with a public debate prior to Election Day.
The Candidates, Donald Ramotar of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic; David Granger of A Partnership of National Unity: Alliance for Change’s Khemraj Ramjattan and Peter Persaud of The United Force had all provided a stirring discourse in the process providing necessary talking points for the electorate to ponder.
The winner of the debate from all accounts points to the Retired Brigadier Granger but certainty, revenge, capitalizing on a missed opportunity or simply a rebuttal to establish dominance at round two of the debate is now in limbo.
That debate is scheduled to take place next Tuesday.
Presidential Candidates from Left David Granger, Khemraj Ramjattan and Donald Ramotar
Granger in a missive to Martin Goolsarran, Programme Manager, National Communications Network Inc (NCN), confirmed his readiness to participate in the proposed debate but only if the entity demonstrates a willingness to address some issues highlighted by APNU.
Granger in his acknowledgement of the invitation to participate in the debate informed Goolsarran that APNU “has been obliged to make formal complaints about the lack of access to, and the bias displayed by, all the state-owned media, including NCN…There has been no assurance from you that these matters – access and bias – are being addressed.”
Just one day before APNU dispatched the letter to Goolsarran, APNU spokesman Lance Carberry, had expressed doubts that the Presidential Candidate would take part in the NCN facilitated debate citing similar reasons that Granger did.
Over the weekend AFC Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan had also expressed a hesitation at participating in the debate questioning NCN’s ability to be impartial saying that he would not want to fall into a trap.
Ramjattan said that he is very suspicious of the Presidential Debate slated to be facilitated by the National Communications Network.
He said that his participation will be based on an assessment of the terms and conditions of that debate given that NCN, in the past, has never demonstrated a propensity to be impartial.
Ramjattan did say that as long as they can be assured that the debate will be professionally moderated and with no special favours for the People’s Progressive Party Civic Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar in place then he will have no problem participating.
He said that he does not want it to be a case where Ramotar is provided with an audience that cheers everything he says regardless of if it is nonsense or not and booing the opposition speakers even when they make salient points.
Campaign spokesperson for the PPP/C, Robert Persaud, recently announced said that Ramotar will be taking part in two Presidential Debates in the run-up to the 2011 Presidential Debates.
Persaud told media operatives that all of the pre-requirements that they had insisted be in place have been satisfied.
Persaud said that he wanted to make the announcement in light of what he calls a plethora of misrepresentations. “In fact the opposition has been suggesting that Mr Ramotar is dodging although we made it quite clear that once we have the available time and the arrangements are put in place we would participate.”
He said that the debates would serve as a forum for continued and an enlightened form of interaction with the wider public.
One such debate that was previously organized and for which Ramotar came in for some criticism was done by Merundoi.
On that occasion the Presidential Candidates of Guyana’s opposition parties signed up but the ruling party’s candidate did not.
No reason was given for the non-confirmation of Donald Ramotar of the incumbent People’s Progressive Party.
November 12, 2011 | By KNews | Filed Under News
…Opposition Candidates suspicious of NCN’s impartiality
The Presidential Candidates for the upcoming Regional and General Elections created history on Thursday last when for the first time in almost 20 years they provided the electorate with a public debate prior to Election Day.
The Candidates, Donald Ramotar of the Peoples Progressive Party Civic; David Granger of A Partnership of National Unity: Alliance for Change’s Khemraj Ramjattan and Peter Persaud of The United Force had all provided a stirring discourse in the process providing necessary talking points for the electorate to ponder.
The winner of the debate from all accounts points to the Retired Brigadier Granger but certainty, revenge, capitalizing on a missed opportunity or simply a rebuttal to establish dominance at round two of the debate is now in limbo.
That debate is scheduled to take place next Tuesday.
Presidential Candidates from Left David Granger, Khemraj Ramjattan and Donald Ramotar
Granger in a missive to Martin Goolsarran, Programme Manager, National Communications Network Inc (NCN), confirmed his readiness to participate in the proposed debate but only if the entity demonstrates a willingness to address some issues highlighted by APNU.
Granger in his acknowledgement of the invitation to participate in the debate informed Goolsarran that APNU “has been obliged to make formal complaints about the lack of access to, and the bias displayed by, all the state-owned media, including NCN…There has been no assurance from you that these matters – access and bias – are being addressed.”
Just one day before APNU dispatched the letter to Goolsarran, APNU spokesman Lance Carberry, had expressed doubts that the Presidential Candidate would take part in the NCN facilitated debate citing similar reasons that Granger did.
Over the weekend AFC Presidential Candidate Khemraj Ramjattan had also expressed a hesitation at participating in the debate questioning NCN’s ability to be impartial saying that he would not want to fall into a trap.
Ramjattan said that he is very suspicious of the Presidential Debate slated to be facilitated by the National Communications Network.
He said that his participation will be based on an assessment of the terms and conditions of that debate given that NCN, in the past, has never demonstrated a propensity to be impartial.
Ramjattan did say that as long as they can be assured that the debate will be professionally moderated and with no special favours for the People’s Progressive Party Civic Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar in place then he will have no problem participating.
He said that he does not want it to be a case where Ramotar is provided with an audience that cheers everything he says regardless of if it is nonsense or not and booing the opposition speakers even when they make salient points.
Campaign spokesperson for the PPP/C, Robert Persaud, recently announced said that Ramotar will be taking part in two Presidential Debates in the run-up to the 2011 Presidential Debates.
Persaud told media operatives that all of the pre-requirements that they had insisted be in place have been satisfied.
Persaud said that he wanted to make the announcement in light of what he calls a plethora of misrepresentations. “In fact the opposition has been suggesting that Mr Ramotar is dodging although we made it quite clear that once we have the available time and the arrangements are put in place we would participate.”
He said that the debates would serve as a forum for continued and an enlightened form of interaction with the wider public.
One such debate that was previously organized and for which Ramotar came in for some criticism was done by Merundoi.
On that occasion the Presidential Candidates of Guyana’s opposition parties signed up but the ruling party’s candidate did not.
No reason was given for the non-confirmation of Donald Ramotar of the incumbent People’s Progressive Party.
