Dear Editor
I read with great interest your editorial of May 13th, “Permanent Secretaries”, where you stated that it is “most unacceptable for a Permanent Secretary to have to be at a ruling party Congress in any capacity.” I kept ruminating on this and felt compelled to state my opinion. I usually agree with your editorials and have quite a bit of respect for most of your opinions. However this is one that I have to disagree with. You see, the essence of any democracy is the guarantee of freedom of speech and association. Try to usurp that, and you end up chipping away at what it means to be free.
In this particular case, I believe Ms. Shannielle Hoosein-Outar is entitled to her freedom to participate in her political choosing. If you want to criticize her professional ability to be a Permanent Secretary while she is an executive member of the ruling party you have the right. But, just like you will defend any action that seeks to erode the freedom of the press, you should be vigilant with ensuring that our democratic right to choose and participate, is not eroded.
As an aside I see the current debate in the U S, the bastion of freedom of expression, about Supreme Court Justice Alito allegedly expressing his (or his wife’s) political right by flying the flag upside down as an apparent show of support for the Jan 6th rioters. Some may say his lifetime appointment as a Supreme Court Justice denudes him of the right to publicly take sides. We will see where this conversation goes.
But for us in Guyana, and for that matter in the free world, we all have to be vigilant in ensuring our constitutional rights are not being chipped away. This is a job for your newspaper. As the saying goes: “Do not lose sight of the forest but for the leaves.”
Respectfully,
Sharir Chan
