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WikiLeaks – a test of freedom of information

Dec 04, 2010 Editorial

All over the world today, the news media are reporting on things exposed by an entity called WikiLeaks. This is a body or an entity that seems dedicated to exposing confidential information that flows from the power centres. The information comes from diplomatic correspondence that flows from the Pentagon—the United States Government headquarters responsible for the military and intelligence aspects of the government.
Most of the correspondence released by WikiLeaks is damaging to the power brokers. The world gets to see the real side of American diplomacy; how the American diplomats think and what they think about the people with whom they associate.
The information also reveals that not everyone who claims to be a friend is indeed a friend. There is China which actually reveals how it feels about its ally, North Korea; how Senator Hilary Clinton feels about some of the allies of the United States, her interest in the health and mental disposition of the President of Chile and so many other juicy tidbits. There is a bit of communication that the United States sought to have someone or some agency spy on the United Nations, particularly its Secretary-General.
We now hear that there are hundreds of correspondence that mentions Guyana. If ever we access them we may get an insight into how the United States Government views the present administration and perhaps even the past one because the transcripts go back decades.
There is a lot of speculation about what the transcripts on Guyana may say and as can be expected the nation is awaiting the release of these bits of communication. Some believe that there would be evidence of how the United States views the role of the government in the Roger Khan affair. The columnist is certain that the reasons for the revocations of the visas of some prominent people would be revealed.
Whether that is going to be the case, we don’t know. What we are certain about is that since the leaks and since the information on comments about Guyana may be included, the United States government would be stupid not to contact President Bharrat Jagdeo and warn him that some of the information may be embarrassing.
That being the case we would expect that President Jagdeo would then try to find out what could some of these embarrassing statements be so that he could attempt damage control ahead of the release of the information. What is surprising is that President Jagdeo has made no attempt to address anything that may remotely appear to be a case of conflict with the Americans.
He has repeatedly said that the Americans have not been forthcoming with assistance in the local fight against illegal drugs, disseminating a mere pittance, according to the Guyana Government. He also accused them of being among the most duplicitous. Surely these must have provoked comments that would prove to be embarrassing to the Americans.
But there is another side to all this. We talk about freedom of information and the right to information. Surely what has been put out by WikiLeaks is information but is it information that should be freely disseminated? The Americans certainly do not think so and the result is that they are putting it out there that the WikiLeaks founder should be charged with treason.
At the political level, the leaks may be damaging but at the level of the ordinary people who elect the leaders, the leaks are important. It affords them the opportunity to see their leaders in a true light. It is about the way people run their country; it is about things that certain leaders may wish hidden.
For example the leaks about a corrupt Russian Prime Minister would be of interest to the people of Russia in the same way that the people of Guyana would be interest in reports of corruption emanating from the United States embassy in Georgetown. Meanwhile, we await the a WikiLeaks.

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