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My response to 3 sins I have been accused of by Freddie Kissoon
DEAR EDITOR,
I readily admit being a flawed character to anyone who finds me out, or else provide an explanation if I can. Colleagues alerted me that I have been accused of 3 sins by Kaieteur News (KN) columnist Freddie Kissoon in the KN of Nov 22.
1) I belong to an organisation that “could not arrive at a decision on (Donald Rodney’s) victimisation claim”.
Let me state that at no time in my conversation with Mr. Rodney did I mention what we failed to reply to. He had come to us in confidence, and since he did not mention the nature of the request, I was constrained to not mention it either.
Mr. Kissoon therefore erred when he presumed it was about the victimisation. Transparency Institute Guyana Inc. (TIGI) agrees that Donald Rodney was victimised.
I have since asked Mr. Rodney if we could disclose what it was about, and he consented. So, I hereby reveal that he was asking us to help find a lawyer who would take up his case. We could not. But since he did not inform us if he had found a lawyer, we treated the matter as a continuous search.
2) Mr. Kissoon felt I conceded he had the right to write about what he (presumed he) overheard only because others were there. He must have forgotten my history of often being in minority and even solitary positions.
3) The third sin is that I only read Stabroek News (SN).
To this I must say that:
a. I am a limited person. I have many things to do, and cannot afford the time to read all newspapers and consider everything in the media except they be brought to my attention.
b. I respect the commitment and expertise Mr. Kissoon devotes to national issues, but while his universe and mine sometimes intersect, they do not coincide.
c. Nothing is free except the grace of God. I choose to subscribe to SN. I feel that my subscription, and those of others, lends a measure of independence that I value. Other media must be funded somehow. Who knows if a few large contributors influence their agenda? The withdrawal of government ads from SN by different governments indicates that SN is worthy of my limited reading time.
TIGI president, Dr. Troy Thomas, will address this and other issues raised by Mr. Kissoon in his column. At TIGI, we do not rush into replies and conclusions. If this is a fault, please understand that we have to consult with others, and it takes time.
Alfred Bhulai
TIGI Director
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