Yesterday, several Guyanese in a peaceful protest outside the Office of the Commissioner of Information, Charles Ramson Sr. called for immediate action on the Access to Information Act and highlighted the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government’s failure to uphold transparency and accountability, with specific focus on the non-functioning the Office of the Commissioner.
Attorney and chartered accountant Christopher Ram, leading a group of concerned citizens, reiterated the fundamental right of every citizen to access information, calling the current state of transparency in Guyana “unacceptable.” Ram emphasise that the right to information is enshrined in law and should be protected, with citizens entitled to timely responses from the government.
“Access to information is an absolute right. It should be a protected right for every citizen to know what the government is doing with their resources. That right means that when you demand information, you should receive it within a specified time,” Ram stated
The protest, which also included former Transparency Institute of Guyana (TIGI) President, Anand Goolsarran, was a direct response to Ramson’s failure to fulfill his obligations under the Access to Information Act of 2011. Protesters expressed frustration with Ramson’s office for obstructing legitimate requests for government documents.
Goolsarran recalled his own struggles with the Commissioner’s office, recounting how, as President of TIGI, he was unable to obtain critical information on a government program from the Ministry of Finance. “We asked for the information and didn’t get it. When we pressed, the Commissioner claimed he had no money to provide the information,” Goolsarran said, referencing the common saying “no money, no love” in his explanation of the government’s lack of action.
Goolsarran’s concerns also extend to the government’s handling of oil tax liabilities. “There is no clarity on how these tax liabilities are being managed, no evidence of payments from the Ministry of Finance or the Natural Resource Fund,” he stated. “It seems like a book entry, but we’re getting no answers.”
The protesters also raised concerns about the Office of the Commissioner being housed in Ramson’s private residence. “It’s unprecedented to have a government office in someone’s private home. If the government is paying rent, where’s the transparency?” Goolsarran questioned.
Critics also pointed out that Ramson, as Commissioner, is required to submit an annual report to Parliament, but has not done so for over a decade. Ram was especially harsh in his criticism of the Commissioner, saying, ”This Commissioner is more concerned with titles—‘Call me this, call me that.’ Quite frankly, in popular parlance, you would have to say he is the ‘Commis-sioner of No Informa-tion.’”
Civil society and media leaders also joined the protest. Kaieteur News publisher Glenn Lall lamented the “total blackout” and lack of transparency in the country, especially concerning the government’s handling of oil revenues. Bemoaning the situation, Lall said his newspaper has requested information multiple times, including the ExxonMobil audit reports and oil spill insurance details, and has not even received an acknowledgement to their letters.
Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), also voiced his concerns, stressing that the dysfunction of the Access to Information system impacts ordinary citizens. “Without access to accurate information, researchers, workers, and the public cannot properly analyse or understand the situation,” Lewis argued. He also mentioned that even the late Ramon Gaskin, a renowned social activist, had written to Ramson but never received a reply.
Protesters also called for significant legislative reforms to decentralise the access-to-information process. Ram argued that ministries should directly handle information requests, rather than relying on a single Commissioner. “In other countries, ministries are responsible for providing information. We need to change the law to reflect that,” he said.
The protest will continue every Friday for the next month, with organisers warning that they will escalate their actions by taking their concerns directly to the Office of the President if no meaningful changes are made. “The Commissioner has $40 million in the 2025 budget. He should use it to make this office functional, not just sit on the title,” Ram added.
Just weeks prior, Ram publicly criticised the government’s handling of the Access to Information Act, highlighting the systemic failure to uphold this right for over a decade.
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira, recently responded to concerns raised by the Oil and Gas Governance Network (OGGN) regarding the transparency of oil company tax payments but ignored criticisms of the Commissioner’s office.
Executives members from the Alliance For Change (AFC), former Georgetown Mayor Pt. Ubraj Narine and newspaper columnist Gabriel Lall, joined the picketing demonstration, lending their voices to the call for greater transparency. Both Narine and Lall are well-known critics of the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) governance, frequently highlighting issues of poor administration and lack of accountability under the current government.
Civil society activist Vanda Radzik also criticised the government’s control over public information and called for a review of the Access to Information Act. She argued that the Commissioner of Information should have his powers reduced and the system made more citizen-friendly. Radzik highlighted the lack of responses to information requests and expressed hope that the protest would prompt action from the Commissioner and the Office of the President, which oversees his role.