Latest update March 21st, 2025 7:03 AM

Guyana's largest selling daily and New York's most popular weekly

Latest News

The Stabroek News, Guyana Press Association and all that jazz

Feb 28, 2011 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

No other country in the world is as intriguingly curious (as distinct from being interesting) as this poor, obscure, unknown, semi-defunct, under-populated land named Guyana. To offer little snippets of the hypocrisy, double standards and utter foolishness of important sections of its population would literally fill volumes. So I am not even going to start offering examples.
In Guyana, there has emerged an issue whose inexplicability no one can comprehend. Or is that there is nothing esoteric about this little thing but some person(s) are just either naïve, barefaced or hypocritical. We start with the Stabroek News (SN). Its legal advisor, Mr. Miles Fitzpatrick has been in practice before I was born. He is no rabbit when it comes to understanding Guyana’s legal jurisprudence. Is it outside of the capacity of Mr. Fitzpatrick to decide on the legal status of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and so inform the SN?
SN has accepted the legality of the ERC. This is the same newspaper that has, through several editorials, published the judgement that President Jagdeo is not following the Constitution by his continued refusal to put the lotto money into the Consolidated Fund. This is the same media entity, through several editorials, that concluded that President Jagdeo did not adhere to the laws of Guyana when he refused to sign eleven Bills and did not send them back to the Speaker of the House within ten days with a written explanation.
Now, having accepted the legal existence of the ERC, SN went out of its way to praise the work of the ERC at an ERC-sponsored event on election campaign journalism at the Georgetown Club last Friday by dishonestly reporting on the role of Mark Benschop at that confabulation and distorting my presentation. It has never occurred to the chief at SN, Mr. Anand Persaud that I have a daily column in a daily newspaper that has a wider circulation than the Stabroek News. Here is my account of what happened and the role of the Guyana Press Association (GPA) in accepting the ERC’s sponsorship.
Norris Witter (TUC’s President) and Mark Benschop accompanied me to the event after we left the courts. Mr. Witter attended so he could challenge the legal validity of the ERC but left in disgust. Mark Benschop was uncharacteristically another human being. He was a lamb, not uttering a piece of a word much less a whole word. Mark Benschop never spoke. It is dishonest journalism from SN to report in last Saturday’s edition that Benschop attempted to interrupt the conference. That was stated twice in the article. Chairman Abraham Pool, “Kit Nascimento, Enrico Woolford and Gordon Moseley can testify to Benschop’s silence. I was painted in that news item as having interrupted the session. In my capacity as a member of the GPA, I addressed the Chairman. Journalism in Guyana has gone in a bizarre direction when a speaker’s presentation can be labeled as interruption.
Mr. Anand Persaud is part of the Guyana Media Owners’ Association. Mr. Glen Lall told me he does not recognize the legality of the ERC. Mr. Jacob Rambarran owner of Channel 13, and like Lall, a founding member of the Owners’ Association, told me the same thing last Wednesday morning. No one from the Kaieteur News, Prime News, the Catholic Standard and Demerarawaves.com were at the Georgetown Club meeting. The place was overflowing with state media personnel and employees from state corporations who were loud in their cheers for Enrico Woolford when he offered the GPA’s recognition of the legitimacy of the ERC. See what I mean by Guyana being an intriguingly curious country.
Among the executives of the GPA and GPA’s membership, there is disagreement on the legitimacy of the ERC.  Maybe, Mr. Moseley, the GPA, President, can produce a list of the names of all the executives who have accepted the legality of the ERC. If and when he does that, I will offer names too of those who disagree. Finally, Mr. Moseley is reported in the Stabroek News as saying that it is not for the GPA to decide who or what is legal. That is interesting. The GPA is a policy-making body that looks into the interest of journalism in Guyana. It is not an entity that reports on the news. As an organization (which no doubt has to consult legal opinion on many issues), why can’t it offer an opinion on such a thorny matter? What has this got to do with news reporting? The GPA is not a media house. See what I mean about Guyana being an intriguingly curious country.

Similar Articles

The Glenn Lall Show|| March, 17th, 2025

Follow on Tik Tok @Glennlall

THE BLUNT OF THE DAY

Sports

NSC, Office of the DPP to host Criminal Law and Sexual Offences Act meeting tomorrow

NSC, Office of the DPP to host Criminal Law and Sexual Offences Act...

Mar 21, 2025

Kaieteur Sports– In a proactive move to foster a safer and more responsible sporting environment, the National Sports Commission (NSC), in collaboration with the Office of the Director of...
Read More
Lucas Chung maintains strong standing at 2nd Qualifier

Lucas Chung maintains strong standing at 2nd...

Mar 21, 2025

Farm Supplies Ltd. supports Bartica Regatta 2025

Farm Supplies Ltd. supports Bartica Regatta 2025

Mar 21, 2025

Legislation and Investment: Trinidad to Brazil, Guyana finds new lifeline

Legislation and Investment: Trinidad to Brazil,...

Mar 21, 2025

Three more matches billed for this weekend

Three more matches billed for this weekend

Mar 21, 2025

CM Khan rules at 2025 National Blitz Chess Championships

CM Khan rules at 2025 National Blitz Chess...

Mar 21, 2025

Features/Columnists

Publisher’s Note

Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.

Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]

Weekend Cartoon

Bridge Watch

Demerara Harbour Bridge

> Berbice Bridge […]