HOSTILE AND INTOLERANT

May 25, 2018 Editorial

The media is referred to as the fourth estate. Its objectives include keeping checks and balances on the governments. An independent media is a vital feature of any liberal democracy. In Guyana, the media has a crucial role to expose acts of injustice, oppression, misdeeds and abuse of power.
It is an integral part of society and our civilization. While the media may have shortcomings, we must recognize its importance to society to hold our leaders responsible for their actions, both good and bad.
With the advent of technology, the media now encompasses television, movies, radio and internet. Today, the media has become as essential as our daily needs. It continues to play an outstanding role in creating and shaping public opinion and the strengthening of society.
The media must be free of political interference and bias reporting. It must defend its rights to the very end in order to fulfil its mandate. As the warden of society, the media should not be bullied by anyone, organization or government into revealing its legitimate sources of information or prevented from publishing valid information that comes to its attention.
Over the years, several attempts were made to silence the private media, especially Kaieteur News, from exposing corruption, bribery, theft of the nation’s finances and other wrongdoings by public officials. But the attempts failed due to the steadfast mission to bring the truth in an unbiased manner to the people without fear, favour, malice or ill-will.
The “Heist of Guyana” was the title created by the publisher of Kaieteur News to highlight one of the illegal practice of the last government. It highlighted rampant corruption, nepotism, cronyism, the raping of the treasury and the giveaway of the country’s resources and the best waterfront lands to a small clique.
Former President Bharat Jagdeo retaliated by labeling Kaieteur News as the mouthpiece of the opposition. He called journalists “carrion crows” and “vultures.” He temporarily banned Government advertisements in the two privately-owned newspapers but lifted the ban only after the establishment of the Guyana Times newspaper whose principals include his friend, Dr. ‘Bobby’ Ramroop.
Dozens of civil law suits were also filed against Kaieteur News by the last administration and some private enterprises, but they did not deter the paper from publishing the facts. It was Kaieteur News that had informed the people how members of the last administration spent their money and how they secretly parceled out the country’s resources to their friends and relatives.
Simply put, this newspaper is objective and will not take sides or be bridled by anyone from reporting the facts.
The private media sensitizing of society to the ills of the previous government was praised by the APNU while in opposition. However, it is unfortunate that elements in this government have shown intolerance for criticism, which could be the reason why Dr. David Hinds and trade unionist Lincoln Lewis were removed as columnists from the government-controlled Guyana Chronicle newspaper.
This has been the trait of the PPP and PNC administrations but for the President to believe that his administration should not be subjected to media scrutiny is incomprehensible.
In any part of the world where governments are corrupt and have made some colossal mistakes, it is the responsibility of any trustworthy media to report and criticizethem.Guyana is no different.
It is not wise for any sensible government to alienate or be hostile to the media. Fair, factual and honest reporting are the founding principles of any serious media.