Dear Editor,
I wish to hereby extend my heartfelt congratulations to the management, staff and editorial team of the illustrious Stabroek News for the recent victory secured in light of the regime’s decision to restore government and state-based advertising business with ‘SN’. This is not merely a financial victory or the scoring of ‘brownie points’ as one might be inclined to think but is truly a victory for press freedom and democracy globally. Ironically, both these hard fought and hard won tenets in Guyana are now under perpetual siege by President Jagdeo and the state apparatus including the ACB, the propaganda machinery at GINA and the letter factory within its employ.
If the recent decision to arbitrarily shut down the folk icon – CS Sharma was not enough then insult has already been added to injury following the recent revelations of an organised smuggling ring involving the importation of Polar beer aided and abetted by corrupt elements within the customs.
The helicopter fiasco is also one for the history books in that the two choppers procured seem more suited for a tour party interested in sightseeing for these are kind of choppers that one will see in places like Hawaii.
Interestingly, in trying to mount a defence they sought to implicate Capt Mike Brassington who was courageous enough to speak up and in so doing might never be held in the same esteem or seen in the same light by his friends within the GDF.
The recent retirement by an obviously fatigued, overworked and energy zapped Rudy Insanally from the thankless post of Foreign Minister signaled a new twist at Takuba Lodge following the appointment of a leading member of Guyana’s indigenous ethnic group to replace him. What skills does this lady bring to this particular post?
Imagine it all in one week – the helicopter fiasco, the new foreign minister conundrum, the Polar Beer skulduggery and the Channel Six tragedy – what a place to live in much less contemplate investing in. Nothing has and nothing probably will change unless and until every respectable and concerned citizen is committed to speaking out and acting in defense of transparency, accountability and good governance. Increasingly, the Jagdeo regime is patently disconnected from the rest of the populace including even ‘Freedom House’ and has now taken it upon itself to go after even the decent and fearless speaker of the National Assembly – Ralph Ramkarran because he (Ramkarran) is courageous enough to put Messrs. Ashni Singh and Clement Rohee in their respective places as well as speaking out on various issues.
Yours faithfully,
Mike Singh
