Dear Editor,
For many years I have been a contributor to the letter columns of the two major newspapers in Guyana, Stabroek News and Kaieteur News. The majority of my letters have been published by both media houses. Over time I have developed a good sense of Editorial “sensitivity” and I have avoided, fairly successfully, giving editors reasons not to publish my letters. However, recently it is becoming increasingly difficult to get my letters published in the Kaieteur News. I say this because over the last few weeks I sent two letters which dealt with the Harmon controversy, to that paper’s editor and neither was published. In the last letter I deliberately mentioned that the earlier one was not published but this had no positive effect on the editor. The obvious question that comes to mind is – why?
It is not my intention to usurp the right of the Editor to decide what letters should or should not be published.
However, Kaieteur News has over the years of its existence, portrayed itself as a bulwark for democracy, good governance and justice in Guyana. Based on these declarations the paper is expected to honour its commitment to society and to discharge its obligation in an even handed and fair manner. I am convinced that the decision by the publishers not to publish my letters was based on the fact that the position I assumed in my letters was different from that advocated by the publishers on the Harmon affaire. It is clear to me that Kaieteur News has its own agenda on the controversy and is not and does not intend to be, an impartial carrier of the news and facilitator of public discourse on this issue. This contradiction speaks volumes and calls into question the publisher’s commitment to its own stated objective to promote justice in Guyana.
The publisher of Kaieteur News must understand that he cannot have it both ways. The paper reserves for itself the right to zealously take politicians and government officials to task for perceived infringements of citizens’ rights and abuse of power, while at the same time in its domain, it does the very same thing it complains about by trampling on citizens’ rights to fair expression in its paper.
More so when the issue is of national importance, the failure to allow balanced and equal coverage of opinions for and against – is nothing but editorial dictatorship. In the particular case as it relates to Minister of State Joseph Harmon, the intention of KN is not only questionable but self-serving.
Yours faithfully,
Tacuma Ogunseye