Bill O’Reilly’s book caused me to write this column

Sep 16, 2021 Features / Columnists, Freddie Kissoon

Kaieteur News – Former Fox News’ talk show host, Bill O’Reilly, said that his new book will contain classified information given to him that may cause him to be charged. His book is on the American war on terrorism. One has to wait and see if O’Reilly will name names. I doubt that; you have to protect your sources at all cost.
Given his profile in the US, O’Reilly would have been given information by confidential sources about things the American government did. Journalists will always be in possession of sensitive things told by insiders for a myriad of reasons. Such a thing has existed long, long ago and will continue to.
Revealing sensitive information is a daunting task every journalist faces because of two reasons. One is could it be traced back to your source? Secondly, though factual, could it open you to libel? Though factual and important details should be made public so history could be recorded in a libel trial you will not be able to prove what is written.
One example is very potent. I was told by a reliable source that in the 2020 election, an APNU+AFC candidate should not have been on the list because of dual citizenry. No one in the nine opposition parties knew this and no one in Guyana asked a question. My source in the APNU+AFC entity felt it was wrong so the information was conveyed to me. I dropped it immediately because it was impossible to prove that in court. But I still believe it.
When I read what O’Reilly stated I reflected on my own situation. I am given information all the time and the lack of publication makes me sad because the stuff will not be part of history. I am not referring to “he say/she say” but occurrences that should form part of history. And it is good stuff told to me by people who were right inside the events.
There are two aspects of the March 2020 election volcano that have not been elongated on by the then opposition parties, scholars and the media. They simply “do not exist” for obvious reason.
On the night of Tuesday March 3, 2020, one full day and almost three quarters of the next day, leaders of the APNU with a few others from the AFC gathered at the campaign office of the APNU on Lamaha Street, very close to the junction with Camp Street.
There were tears in the eyes of at least one AFC leader and one PNC leader. Those present knew they had lost the March 2020 general elections. Right at that gathering it was decided that the results had to be fixed giving the APNU+AFC a one seat majority. How unfortunate my source’s name will not be part of the history book on modern Guyana. But I trust him. I believed him then. I still believe him now.
Incidentally, two days after that congregation, March 5, the AFC held a press conference hosted by Cathy Hughes and Khemraj Ramjattan in that very building in which the revelation was made that a group of Russians came into the country during the campaign to tamper with the election on behalf of the PPP. This was the beginning of the propaganda war to coexist with the physical war that was taking place in the GECOM Secretariat.
Interestingly, the first column of Moses Nagamootoo in the Guyana Chronicle after the March election, were the words, “Again, it was a narrow margin as in 2015. And when computed, the unofficial projection is that the Coalition would again have a one-seat majority in the National Assembly.”
The second example is one that I have written about three times before. The decision was made by the PNC that as soon as the Court of Appeal gave its decision on July 31 on the election results, if it upheld the Chief Justice’s decision that the CCJ’s decision was final and that the recount results stands, then the three PNC commissioners would resign thus preventing a statutory meeting of GECOM to officially legalise the results.
Again I trust my source implicitly and explicitly. The resignations did not take place because on that very Friday, President Granger based on an exchange with Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, did not reject GECOM’s announcement. There are others pieces that have not entered the history book as yet. One is that two AFC executives told me that they were part of the AFC’s delegation that met with the PNC’s foreign election consultant, a White Englishman at State House in August 2019. Finally I saw an email from President Granger advising the AFC to find a suitable job for a frustrated Dr. Ramayya who had threatened to resign.

(The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper.)

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