Govt objects to “disproportionate” panel for BBC World Questions programme in Guyana

The Guyana Government has raised concerned over what it describes as a disproportionate panel that has been selected for the upcoming recording of the BBC World Questions programme next month.
Set for Tuesday, May 6, 2025, the BBC World Questions will tape a programme in Guyana to debate the country’s political and economic future in the country’s capital, Georgetown.
The BBC World Service programme will be presented by the BBC Correspondent, Jonny Dymond. The panellists include Parliamentary Affairs and Governance Minister, Gail Teixeira; Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton; Businesswoman and civil society activist, Ayodele Dalgety Dean, and Editor-in-Chief of the Stabroek News, Anand Persaud.
However, while it welcomed the BBC’s interest in engaging with the Guyanese public and exploring the democratic and developmental issues facing the country, the Guyana Government has “strongly” objected to the current composition of the panel.
This publication has seen a correspondence sent by Public Affairs Minister Kwame McCoy to the Series Producer, Helen Towner, in which he expressed disappointment over the selected panellists, whom he says do not reflect a fair or balanced cross-section of Guyanese perspectives.
According to the Minister, both Ms Dean and Mr Persaud are known to espouse positions that are overtly critical of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Government, and who despite not being formally aligned with the political opposition, have publicly demonstrated strong anti-Government sentiments.
This coupled with the inclusion of the Opposition Leader further compounds the imbalance.
“The panel, as currently constituted, is disproportionately skewed in favour of opposition and dissenting voices, while placing the Government at a numerical and ideological disadvantage.”
“We do not believe this reflects the BBC’s stated commitment to fairness, impartiality, and balanced debate. Nor do we believe this adequately represents the diverse and nuanced perspectives of the Guyanese people,” the correspondence detailed.
McCoy further contended that the panel as proposed, risks projecting distorted narrative of the political and social landscape in Guyana, rather than providing an equal platform for genuine dialogue.
“We understand that the BBC may have relied on information provided by local representatives or advisors,” the Minister noted.
“However, in the interest of journalistic integrity and in keeping with the high standards of the BBC World Service, we strongly urge you to reconsider the panel’s composition. It is essential that the programme presents an accurate, balanced and fact-based discussion on matters affecting the people of Guyana.”
According to McCoy, Government is willing to collaborate with the BBC to ensure that World Questions is a success and a model for meaningful public discourse but added that such success hinges on fair representation and an equitable platform.
Scheduled to be recorded in front of a live audience at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown, the hour-long BBC World Service programme, which puts people and their questions at the heart of the debate, will feature a debate with leading politicians, journalists and civil society activists as well as take questions from the public audience.
Gwenan Roberts, Commissioning Editor, BBC World Service English, says: “We are thrilled to be coming to Guyana’s capital Georgetown for BBC World Questions, in what is a period of unprecedented economic growth for the country. We encourage audiences to attend and look forward to hearing about the issues that matter most to people locally.”
The ‘BBC World Questions: Guyana’ programme will be first broadcast on World Service English on Saturday, May 10 and will be available online, on BBC Sounds and on most other podcast platforms.