Dear Editor,
This past weekend a GINA press release titled, “Govt. rejects Ads Decision criticism”, published in the weekly West Indian News has created quite a buzz in this Guyanese village in Queens, NY. No less than a dozen Guyanese called me up to discuss this news story. Their focus of concern is not so much the issue of whether Govt’s withdrawal of advertisements from the Stabroek News constitutes an attack on press freedom in Guyana, but more the issue of whether GINA’s personal attack on distinguished Guyanese journalist, Rickey Singh was justified. The offending statement, quote: “GINA urges [Rickey] Singh to submit founded arguments with a view to reclaiming the level of repute with which he was once classified”. Many Guyanese here are aghast at what they perceive to be a personal attack on Rickey Singh, his character and his professional reputation.
What is the proper role of a news agency? Is it to launch personal attacks on professional journalists who have the courage to express their independent views on public policies? (2) Is it to engage in public debates (defending) on Govt’s policy positions and actions? Neither of these questions forms the purview of a news agency. GINA under its current head has blundered and done a great disservice to the government.
What was Singh’s transgression or sin that elicited this personal attack from the head of GINA? The previous week I read Singh’s article in which he said the Jagdeo Administration’s decision to withdraw advertisements from the SN smacks of the Burnhamite doctrine, which had deprived Guyanese of many basic human rights including a free press. I read this article ten times and each time I found Singh’s statements and arguments and general tone to be reasonable and measured.
Solzhenitzyn was exiled from the USSR in 1974 because of his agitation for human rights and press freedom. Rickey Singh was exiled from Guyana for exactly the same reason. Today, neither Stalinist USSR nor Burnhamite Guyana exists. Solzhenitzn’s citizenship has been restored and he chose to resettle in his homeland. And, Rickey Singh? He comes under personal attack in his homeland for daring to exercise his independent editorial judgement. Believe it or not!
I think President Jagdeo should do the honourable thing and apologize to Rickey Singh for what is clearly seen as a grievous personal attack by the head of GINA. The President appoints his agency heads and cabinet officers, he cannot micromanage their every decision and action and if his appointed officers commit a blunder, it is proper for the President to apologise.
In small, developing societies like Guyana with relatively few and small-scale businesses with small advertising budgets there are not many advertising dollars to support strong independent newspapers.
When the Government’s placement of ads with a small independent newspaper accounts for as much as 15 percent of the newspaper’s advertising revenue and when the government. suddenly cancels the placement of ads, it can spell the difference between life or death for that newspaper. Can a government. or must a government. take such vindictive action to punish a newspaper for its independent editorial positions and independent coverage of news in what is now a democratic Guyana? This looks to me like an attack on the press freedom of the SN. The Jadgeo Administration is using its Big Brother’s powers to force the SN to cry uncle and if the SN wants to survive it must toe the line and become a pro-government newspaper. Make the independent press disappear and you do irreparable harm to the quality of democracy we currently enjoy in Guyana. When a small independent newspaper stands to lose a significant portion of its ad revenue through Big Brother’s decision to pull its adds, such an event looks to me like a real and serious attack on press freedom.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Persaud
