Dear Editor,
May I respond to Freddie Kissoon’s column of April 26th, 2021, titled `The Stabroek News cannot criticize the Govt. yet behave so unfairly’.
While I read Mr. Rohee’s “long” letter, I did not read the shortened version, in the Stabroek News, to which Freddie refers. Mr. Rohee’s “long” letter could have been much shorter (~40% of its original length), and still serve its intended purpose, without any meaning/understanding being lost. Shortening a letter, allows more space for other written words and writers.
Here I quote from Freddie, “I am contending this was barefaced denial of the right of a citizen to express him/herself on issues of national importance.”
Mr. Kissoon, Kaieteur News places a restriction on the length of your columns, as is evidenced by your own expression(s) (you told us so). Is that because your writings have no national importance? Is Clement Rohee’s letter, assisting you in your “war” against Eusi Kwayana, deemed to be of national importance?
Mr. Kissoon, considering that you are seeking a senior position with the PPP/C’s government, would you dare criticize the two PPP-affiliated papers? Obviously you would not “attack” Kaieteur News. That leaves Stabroek News as your only prey.
The letters-section, of both PPP-affiliated papers, seem to be dominated by a few writers. Stabroek News is dominated by no one. Mr. Kissoon, as a former teacher at QC, when someone, on staff, claims they have x-number of years of experience, the teachers had a question. The question? Do you have x-number of years of experience or one year of experience, x-number of times? Now, 32 years of experience? Do your writings so demonstrate? You never seem to know the proper placement of the word, “only.” May I remind you, Sir, you are an academic? You frequently serenade us with that fact.
May I educate and/or remind Freddie that a letter, written by me, about Caribbean Airlines’ (CAL’s) failure to refund my airfare was printed only by Stabroek News, despite my submissions to the four dailies. I made the latter point, in a subsequent letter, after CAL sent me an email and called me twice, within hours of the appearance of my letter in the Stabroek News. It resulted in a prompt and full refund. That subsequent letter was sent only to Stabroek News, since only Stabroek News printed my first letter.
If the issue of airlines’ (CAL and Eastern) failure to make refunds were not of national importance, why was this issue recently discussed at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre? In my letter, I had also stated that I wrote Guyana’s Attorney General, Anil Nandlall, but did not receive a reply.
Mr. Kissoon, Kaieteur News did not print my letter of importance to numerous Guyanese who travel on airplanes. Considering that you constantly lambast Guyanese who, by your claim, did not “stay and serve,” are you pleased with our victimization by airlines? Incidentally, many who reside in Guyana also lost their money.
With respect to what the newspapers fail to print, I would like to focus on an article, by you, that commented on a non-disclosure agreement between the GRA and someone in Guyana. That person had failed to pay taxes/duties and you criticized the GRA for its non-disclosure agreement with that person. Many months ago, it was reported, in the local newspaper(s), that a well-known publisher of a major media house, and his wife, were in possession of SUV’s on which the import duty had not been paid. That news item quickly disappeared from the pages of the local news. May we assume that a non-disclosure agreement had been negotiated? Isn’t it rather interesting that this case missed you or you missed it, by default or design?
Finally Mr. Kissoon, I read with interest, your constant and perpetual denigration of the Guyanese people. May I state that you are one of those Guyanese?
Yours faithfully,
Zamir
