Reforming Guyana’s libel laws is long overdue

Oct 06, 2020 Front Page Comment, News

Kaieteur News – Libel laws are a holdover from a time when the powerful protected their persons, practices, and turf against undesired intrusion, exposure, and truths that embarrass. It is time that they go, which should be given the highest priority.
In today’s Guyana, the offended powerful is best represented by the governing political establishment of the day. Its members do not wish to be questioned, they resent scrutiny, though there is grand talk about transparency. Apparently, conveniently forgotten is that transparency is enhanced by honest and constant scrutiny. It is instructive that far fewer libel suits are brought by offended individuals in the private domain, with the overwhelming majority of these cases being brought by people close to government as a means of intimidating and silencing.
Among the things wished to be kept quiet are public monies spent in enormous amounts under shabby and criminal circumstances. It is public knowledge in Guyana that massive amounts of the taxpayers’ money have been mishandled, unaccounted for properly, simply vanished. Or the work done does not match the amounts reportedly spent.
When revealed and pressed for answers, none are forthcoming from those appointed as stewards. When pressed too hard and too sharply, political participants in the local arena resort to filing libel suits to do two things. To distract and deter continuing revelations of serial costly wrongdoing. The second objective, the primary one, is to muzzle the independent private press, through court action.
Powerful men seek to hide behind the shield of libel laws to prevent expensive truths from reaching the public. Clearly, our libel laws do more harm than good; they protect wrongdoers, they handcuff seekers of concealed truths. These laws are ancient and need comprehensive overhaul. It is time that the public be privy to every truth that impacts its welfare expensively and negatively. It is time that these antiquated libel laws of Guyana be thoroughly modernized and be brought in line with 21st century realities and standards.

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