Dear Editor,
“It used to be that, when discussing integrity and ethics, be it in business or politics, it would be said that responsible people need to eschew not only impropriety… but the appearance of impropriety. It always seemed to me to be the necessary standard of conduct for anyone placed in a position of great responsibility; teachers, CEO’s, and Presidents alike.“ Norman Bernstein
I share Ryhaan Shah’s view that Ruel Johnson was right to bring to the attention of the public the matter of the publication of Ashley Anthony’s book by Caribbean Press (SN, January 19). Regrettably, outside of social media, there has not been enough public support of his demand for transparency and accountability in the decision-making process that led to the publication of Ms Anthony’s book.
I am not familiar with the processes involved in publishing a book so I have no choice but to defer to folks, such as Ruel Johnson, who do.
He has asked a number of questions; many remain unanswered by Minister Anthony. Perhaps the Minister is waiting for his day in court to reveal the details of the transaction. David Dabydeen’s response, as a representative of Caribbean Press, was glib and glossy featuring information irrelevant to the subject at hand and ignoring some of the more critical questions that required answers. It contained the type of verbiage one associates with political speech-making.
have no doubt that Minister Anthony’s actions were “above board” and not in any way improper. Unfortunately it has taken on the appearance of impropriety by his failure to lay bare the details of the transaction between himself and Caribbean Press.
I expect he will do the right thing and provide the public with sufficient information to remove any doubt about the propriety of his actions and those who are tasked with the management of Caribbean Press.
Yours faithfully,
Nadia Sagar