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GHK Lall should be bold and take the high ground

Feb 01, 2010 Letters

Dear Editor,

I take the liberty of offering a note of advice to one of SN’s frequent contributors to the letter pages who signs his/her name as GHK Lall.

In the use of language, the directness of analytical frames and situational assessments, this particular letter-writer has positively contributed to the understanding of political inexplicabilities our masses need. I must confess at times, his/her style will confound our ordinary folks but I, too, as a commentator, sometimes get carried away with some semantic shapes that could be avoided.

On three occasions, GHK Lall has commented on anonymous writers, the latest being SN, January 28. This recent critique was devastating. I once read where he/she evanescently stated that he/she was not in anyway associated with the ownership of Kaiteur News. In another correspondence GHL Lall informed readers that he/she was not from Berbice

Once GHK Lall took the step of castigating other people for using false names, then GHK Lall cannot do the same. It takes away from the good work GHK Lall has been doing. I hope GHK Lall knows that no amount of moral argument can be used to defend a position of rejecting fake signatures, while the repudiator is doing the same.

I honestly believe it weakens the superb intentions of GHK Lall. I should note at this stage that it is not sufficient for the editor to say that GHK Lall is a real person. I doubt people would want to disbelieve the editor but as the saying goes, “Justice must not only be done but seen to be done.” It would be best for GHK Lall to offer a definition of his/her status. I would like to close by recapping for GHK Lall an incident I had with Father Andrew Morrison

As GHK Lall would know, Father was the editor of the Catholic Standard. I was his columnist but I did basic journalistic work for the paper so we worked closely. Outside of that we developed a personal relationship. Andrew Morison remains for me one of the greatest Guyanese. We had one quarrel in our friendship and it was over an anonymous letter-writer. Father summoned me a morning and asked me to comment on the contents of a letter he wanted to publish. This was a full page letter written by a Catholic parishioner, Basil Collins of Duncan Street (deceased) but signed by the pen name, Observer. It was a tempestuous attack on the Hoyte presidency. There was a paragraph that I found offensive and obnoxious in a moral context and because of that I requested dropping the letter. Mr. Collins appealed to public servants to defy the Hoyte Government even if it meant “losing your job.” At the time, Collins was a public servant

I was emotional when I read that section. Mr. Collins was showing no moral example by signing his name as Observer and was sending public servants to the slaughter. Father Morison was never one to be diplomatic. He believed in telling people the truth. So he went to Collins and requested his position based on my objection. He asked Collins if he would like to put his real name to the letter. Collins refused. The letter was published with the signature, “Observer.” Collins went on to stay in the public service until retirement. But he never forgave me for accusing him for double standards. He never spoke to me again until death.

Frederick Kissoon

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