By Travis Chase | HGP Nightly News
Dozens of civil society members, media workers, and transparency advocates have continued their protest outside the Commissioner of Information’s Office on East Street, Georgetown, demanding greater accountability and functionality from the office.
At the heart of the protest is a growing concern over the Commission’s failure to deliver annual reports to Parliament as mandated by Guyana’s Access to Information Act of 2011. Activists claim that Justice (Ret’d) Charles Ramson Sr., the Commissioner, has not submitted a single report in over a decade, despite the office receiving an annual budget of $40 million.
Rather than addressing the substance of the protest, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during his customary Thursday press briefing, dismissed the demonstrators as “the same group of negative people,” downplaying public outrage and questioning the credibility of the protesters.
“Whether I agree with it or not is not germane. People have the right to protest… but it’s the same group of negative people,” Jagdeo stated.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali had previously distanced his administration from the Commissioner’s role, telling the media last week that the government does not intervene in the office’s work. Jagdeo, however, offered a contrasting view, hinting that the Office of the President may now examine the issue, when asked whether Ramson should be removed.
“The Office of the President would have to examine this,” Jagdeo said.
The ongoing protest is also part of a broader call for legislative reform. Activists argue that ministries should manage information access requests rather than centralizing the process under a single, underperforming Commissioner.
Critics have emphasized that the Commission’s lack of transparency and inaction severely undermine checks and balances, thereby violating the spirit of open government.
“Once it doesn’t involve a PPP official, they try to paint it as anti-government,” said one protestor. “This is about accountability, not politics.”
The protestors insist the failure to act sets a dangerous precedent—particularly as the country grapples with calls for increased access to large government contracts and other public records.
As the pressure mounts, all eyes are now on the Office of the President to determine whether Justice Ramson Sr. will finally be held accountable, or if the calls for good governance will once again fall on deaf ears.
