Dear Editor,
We refer to a letter published in the Stabroek News of Saturday, September 26, under the headline ‘No level playing field’ by Mr Christopher Ram which, amongst other falsehoods, makes the claim that the Guyana Times has benefited from “a package of unlawful concessions” and that the Guyana Times “is being subsidized by taxpayers to promote the partisan interest of the government…”
These statements are untrue and malicious. They repeat the same nonsense published over a year ago by the Sunday Stabroek in a ‘Business Page’ article written by Mr Ram and which was corrected in a letter from the Guyana Times published in the Stabroek News since July 27, 2008, pointing out that the Guyana Times is not and has never been, a beneficiary of any tax concession granted by the government.
The Guyana Times is published by Guyana Times Inc and is printed on its own web printing press by Guyana Times Inc. It is an independent and wholly separate company from any of the other companies owned and operated by Queens Atlantic Investment Inc.
The Guyana Times competes in the open market for advertising, including government advertising, along with the other newspapers published in Guyana, including the Stabroek News.
The Guyana Times, in fact, attracts a substantially greater amount of ‘prestige’ advertisements than its competition because it is a quality newspaper, politically independent and enjoys a superior circulation and readership among the business and professional community.
It is regrettable that the Stabroek News continues to allow itself to be a vehicle for Mr Ram’s persistent misrepresentation of the facts.
Whether these attacks on the good name and credibility of the Guyana Times are driven by fear of competition, business jealousy or just plain malice, we know not, but, it is very clearly unprofessional and we believe unethical on the part of the Stabroek News to persist in publishing these falsehoods when its editors should know better.
Yours faithfully,
R. Ravie Ramcharitar
Director
Guyana Times Inc
