Dear Editor,
Those in authority are making a mockery of the judicial system in Guyana. First, we have the President of Guyana who cannot be sued whether in office or out of office, but he can sue any citizen as with the case of Freddie Kissoon. Then we have the Minister of Education suing the Kaieteur News over the laptop computer issue.
But most outrageous of all is the Minister of Housing Irfaan Ali suing Stabroek News and Dr Roopnaraine for insulting Islam and allegedly implying that the Minister was following in the tradition of his Muslim ancestors, Ali Baba and the forty thieves. Ali Baba and the forty thieves are fictional characters from ancient Arabian literature, so I cannot see how they can be his ancestors. Is it because Ali Baba has a Muslim name? Is Osama bin Laden, for example, related to the Minister because he has a Muslim name?
Nowhere in Dr Roopnaraine’s speech did he insult Islam. Minister Ali is out to create mischief.
Many times Hindus and Christians are targeted and insulted but not one of them has resorted to the High Court.
This writer lodged a complaint against the CIOG and the DPP with the Ethnic Relations Commission since June 2010 and to date no response has been received from the ERC. The suing of the Stabroek News and the Kaieteur News by government officials is simply trying to intimidate the private media from doing their job in reporting the news.
What is Minister Irfan Ali trying to prove?
Yours faithfully,
Balwant Persaud
