During a heated opening of the House of Assembly yesterday, Independent MP for St Margaret Pierre Dupuch defended the role of the press in the country.
Mr Dupuch claimed that during certain recent political controversies, information has been given or withheld from the press in an attempt to suit a certain faction or point of view.
Mr Dupuch claimed that many politicians will either leak information or simply hang up the phone on reporters – depending on how the mood or situation suited them.
“The people (reporters) have tried to get information from them and they laugh at them and slam the phone down I understand.
“The reporters are trying to do their job; trying to find out for the people the truth of the matter and that is how they are treated. “They are the people whether you like what they report or don’t like I what they report.
“They have a job to do just like we’ve got a job to do and they cannot do a proper job unless they have the proper information.
“How do you expect them to do a proper job if the leaders of this country, the ‘so called leaders’- one in particular who laughs when he, picks up the phone and then hangs up the phone without giving them any information?” he asked.
Mr Dupuch called this kind of attitude “disgraceful.” He said this of kind of behaviour by politicians has been reported to him by numerous radio and newspaper reporters.
“They leak something to the press for the public to read an then they laugh about it thinking it’s a joke. They come here they make a mockery of the system and they think it’s a joke,” he said.
Source: Paul G. Turnquest, The Tribune
