Speak now or forever hold thy peace

Mar 16, 2018 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a communist;

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a socialist;

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist;

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew;

Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak out for me.

They have come for Lincoln and David. They have axed them from the Guyana Chronicle. If they escape condemnation for this act of suppression, they will come for you one day and neither Lincoln nor David or anyone else will be there to speak out for you.

The Guyana Chronicle will find it difficult to convince the public that the dropping of the columnists– has anything to do with the rebranding of the company. The only brand, which is relevant to the image of the Guyana Chronicle is its openness to criticism of the government. Removing the two principal political columnists is not going to show that the newspaper is more balanced.

The manner in which the removal was effected nails the view that this move was not about rebranding. One of the columns was not published and when the columnist enquired why, he was told that it was because it was late. When it did not appear the following week, he again asked why and it was then that he was given correspondence about being dropped. If the reason for non-publication of the column was rebranding, then why was the columnist not told this initially?

The Guyana Chronicle will find it difficult to convince the public that this action is not politically motivated and directed. The Guyana Chronicle will have to explain how it is that it suddenly dropped David Hinds and Lincoln Lewis as columnists without providing advance notice to these persons that there is a rebranding process in the works.

The Board of the Guyana Chronicle will find it difficult to explain why it has not reversed this decision and why the Board is divided on this issue. The Board has the authority to overrule the editorial board or even the editor.

It is not general practice to do so but what was said by one Board member is true: any decision which can bring the paper into disrepute is within the jurisdiction of the Board to overturn. The Board has the power to remedy this situation. Its failure to do so is of worrying concern.

Newspapers establish editorial committees in order to produce editorial policies in which to guide the editor and his staff. The editorial committees also insulate the editor from direct direction from the Board. It is the Editorial Board, which sets the policy and its editor, which has to ensure that this policy is complied with.

By setting an editorial policy for the paper, the Editorial Board ensures that there is no political direction from outside or even from the Board.

But the Board is not expected to be impotent in the face of grave violations of press freedom or actions which are detrimental to the paper. In the movie, The Post, the editor was the one who had full freedom to decide what stories went into the paper and what did not. But on a major question as to whether to print the leaked Vietnam files, the owner was involved because the company was facing litigation which would have affected the entire operations and not just the Press Room.

The Guyana Chronicle is now retuning to the rag it was under the PPPC. If the views of David Hinds and Lincoln Lewis can be so easily deleted from the pages of the newspaper – one is a leading official of the Trade Union Congress and the other a leader of a coalition partner, the Working People’s Alliance – what is going to happen to the views of ordinary citizens?

It is time for all right-minded Guyanese to come out and protest against what has happened to David Hinds and Lincoln Lewis. You do not have to be supportive of the two columnists’ views, but only their right to ventilate these views.

The suppression of the two columns is an ominous development. It signals that all the talk about freedom of expression is just talk. There are forces behind the scene who are trying to silence criticism. If they succeed, you will be their next victim.

Unless they are restrained, they will throw you in jail for criticizing the government. This is where we are headed unless all right-minded citizens speak out against this travesty.

Guyanese must decide whether they wish to return to the days of dictatorship or whether they want to live in freedom. Speak now or forever hold thy peace until they come for you.

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