With the Government of National Unity now officially in full swing, Minister of the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie has issued a stern warning that his department will not be bullied by celebrities via their social media platforms.
In a recent tweet the Minister has criticised the public figures for their decision to use social media as a platform to criticise the work of his department.
“Many celebrities use social media to bully government officials, they want us to jump when they speak,” the minister wrote.
“I’m different, your time of exclusive access is over, you might be famous, but you are not more important than other artists. We treat people equally at the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture.”
His comments come in the wake of ongoing disputes between his department and the former Isidingo actor Jack Devnarain.
The actor criticised the government, producers and leaders of the performing arts industry for ignoring the needs of actors. This comes as many have been struggling to make ends meet after a failure to be compensated for their work.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) Jack argued that the government’s silence on the matter reflects failure.
“Silence is the sound of failure,” he said in his video.
“Nobody wants to step up and admit that they have failed to protect the rights of performers, crew and background actors. The problem is that we have normalised silence because if you have to take a step back and reflect on the damage inflicted on the industry through nonpayment, there should be all kinds of sirens and alarm bells. There should be media statements by government, Ministers wagging their fingers.”
He claims to have written to the department on countless occasions so that they could brief the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture; and the Department of Labour in person but have not been successful.
Meanwhile, Gayton responded by stating that Jack’s comments are inaccurate and states that they have been engaging with the actor. However, they are currently working on finding solutions to their issue.
You were the first people I met when I assumed office, I listened and promised to act, you invited me to a Hindu celebration, i honoured that invite & spoke at that event. I can’t report to your organisation exclusively. Why accuse us of silence ? We will soon have solutions. https://t.co/PTJFXG8ngO
— Gayton McKenzie (@GaytonMcK) January 5, 2025
