A Salute to Stabroek News

Mar 12, 2026 Letters

Dear Editor,

Very soon on March 15th, the Stabroek News will cease publishing. This will be a great loss to the country as a whole, particularly at this time with the rapidly changing situation in the world.

Stabroek News made its appearance in 1986. It was a time when the struggles of the Guyanese working people were gaining ground. The Stabroek News was therefore one of the products of our struggles for democracy in our country. It was one of the earliest fruits of that long resistance against the dictatorial role of the regime. We must not loose sight on this.

In a way too it was the product of the fight for press freedom. That battle was led by the Mirror alone for a long time and later joined by others, Catholic Standard, Day Clean, etc. Only the Mirror and Catholic Standard survived the onslaught of the PNC regime. However, by 1986, they were both badly damaged.

Stabroek News’ appearance was therefore a giant step forward.

The newspaper became very popular almost immediately led by persons who were Social Democratic in their outlook, opening their pages to the Guyanese people. The letter section became an immediate hit. It was giving expressions to voices long suppressed. That column remains very popular and has made an invaluable contribution to public discussions and debates, two aspects so vital to an open society.

Anand Persaud, as editor, maintained the position of the paper and remained loyal to the best aspects of having a free press.

Throughout its existence it has helped to produce some very talented journalists and reporters. Anand Persaud himself rose from being a reporter to now being regarded as one of the top journalists in the country. Another early reporter who, from the early days showed great promise was Gitanjali Persaud – but many others as well and Sharief Khan’s name came to mind.

It is a real misfortune that the SN is going out at this particular time. The world situation is changing rapidly, and the heavy pressures are being applied on smaller states. Indeed, we are approaching a situation where it appears that colonialism is making its appearance once more. Sovereignty is being compromised and if this trend continues it could be completely lost. In that regard the loss of the Stabroek News is a real tragedy. Hopefully the void that it would leave would be filled in a short time. To the workers at the Newspaper I extend solidarity and best wishes in whatever areas you will venture in the future.

Regards,

Donald Ramotar

Former President

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