Governance and responding to criticism

Feb 15, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
The detailed response to your editorial of 11th February by the Corporate Secretary of the NDIA surely reflects the bankruptcy in the ability of most of the servants of our people to interface with dignity and sophistry when questions or criticisms are addressed by them and even when they are rightfully criticising someone or an institution.
Our President for one seems to lack the necessary decorum and suavity, on the national and international stage, and has caused us some embarrassment. Maybe he has set the example for his subordinates.
To me, the remark by Mr. Chandan that “Major developmental projects being implemented by the government have all been negatively criticised by the Kaieteur News, be it the President’s laptop project, the Amaila Falls Project and the Hope Project leading one to believe that there is some sinister motive either political or the fulfilling of a personal agenda……” epitomizes paranoia and pettiness.
This exemplifies either the inability to recognise that it is the manner in which all of the named projects have been implemented, or a partisan and silly belief that all of the named projects have been implemented to established standards of propriety and transparency.
If this was the case, the projects that have attracted “negative criticism”, would not have.
Numerous letters, articles and viewpoints has highlighted the lack of transparency and in some cases, propriety in so much of this government’s projects and personal dealings, but these officials just don’t get it. They just either ignore the concerns raised or they “cuss out” those who speak out – Kissoon and Chris Ram come readily to mind as beneficiaries of these ‘cuss outs’.
In fact what the government should be doing when these concerns are raised in the media, is to address them in a logical way without recourse to personal attacks.
This would be both dignifying and fulfilling the responsibility of these officials to the people who they serve.
But that’s another thing they don’t get – they are, servants of the people……. And the media represent and present the concerns of the people for them to be addressed by the servants of the people, in the absence of a vibrant representative body.
It is clear that the elected persons in our national assembly, is not adequately representing the people; instead, you the independent media is.
You are doing the research, engaging the people in their communities, cross-checking the need for and impact of projects etc and I appreciate it.
A case in point is I have not had a conversation with an elected representative in the last 19 years!!!! I have been engaged by representatives of the media on eight occasions, both at home and on the road for views on various topics.
To put it succinctly, you the independent media are the true representatives of the Guyanese people.
One last thing, if governance continues as it is after the next (s)election, you may very well find you will be covering an event like what unfolded in Egypt and Tunisia recently.
M. London

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News