Dear Editor,
I refer to the letter written by Mr Selwyn A Pieters published in your newspapers of August 13 2014, captioned, ‘Objection was misplaced,’ and his letter similarly published on August 9 2014, where he libelled me under the caption, ‘Unprofessional.’
Mr Pieters is still out of touch as he is now saying that I had objected to the standing of the GTUC. This is highly erroneous.
In his letter on August 9, his complaint was that in his absence I could not enquire of the Rodney Commission of Inquiry (RCOI) about the attendance of Lincoln Lewis, his accredited witness, to testify; the RCOI was discussing the attendance of witnesses for the period up to October, 2014. I also enquired about Donald Rodney, Cecil ‘Skip’ Roberts and Major General Norman McLean, among others.
Mr Pieters recognizing the paucity of his contention now attempts to move the goalpost. The claim to the wide powers of his standing in the RCOI, confirms the correctness of my position to ask about the attendance of any witness accredited by the RCOI.
Mr Pieters’s ignorance of our procedures in Guyana is again manifest in his contention that some “imagined” objection was summarily dismissed by the three members of the commission. In Guyana, such summary dismissal as alleged must have been based on a prior application or submission by counsel to the RCOI; I made no such application or submission to the commissioners. At all material times I was motivated by a spirit of inquiry. Perhaps Mr Pieters can get in touch and share what my application was to the RCOI concerning him and his client that was dismissed.
Mr Pieters’s libellous attack was a complete surprise to me because of a conversation we had when he expressed a desire to have a certain benefit which he was negotiating with an official of the RCOI. In fact I thought I was helping him, he having suddenly departed Guyana before the end of the session.
Editor, to paraphrase a verse in Ezekiel, I will not let them pollute my name any more.
Yours faithfully,
Basil Williams
Attorney-at-law
