These threats evoke memories of the murdered Kaieteur News pressmen

Dear Editor,
Once again in Guyana, relations between a private newspaper, Kaieteur News and the ruling PPP administration have not only gone sour but has hit rock bottom, or lower. And once again, regional voices especially those in the English speaking Caribbean must be raised to register concern about the persistence of entrenched negative predispositions of the minority PPP regime against the free and independent media in Guyana. They have tried almost everything even death threats against the staff of Kaieteur News, one of the two main privately owned media houses that has been exposing the corrupt practices of administration. Their goal is to close down the private media in Guyana.
In line with a policy tradition common to the PPP regime, print and broadcast entities owned, operated and controlled by the State have continued to be fixtures of the media landscape. It is against this background that private interests have invested in making real and vibrant a diversity of media voices, thus giving effect to the freedom of expression in Guyana as guaranteed by the constitution and international conventions. Mr. Nandlall’s vulgar and physical threats have embarrassed the nation internationally and so for the PPP General Secretary to say that there is nothing immoral about what the AG has said shows how unschooled he is.
The ruling administration has not hesitated to utilize the State media in advancing its political agenda, propaganda, distortions and untruths to reply to criticism from the private media and the opposition. The operations of the privately owned media to legitimately challenge government pronouncements and to question and to investigate wrongdoings have proved to be risky, costly and deadly. The alleged death threats on the staff of Kaieteur News brought back memories of the horrific experience of the August 8, 2006, slaughter of five Kaieteur News press operators who were gunned down in execution style by armed men at its printery. The paper survived those murders to the extent it never ceased publication.
Both privately owned Stabroek News and Kaieteur News were denied advertisements for several years by Former President Bharat Jagdeo as punishment for publication of news and opinion deemed unfavorable to the PPP regime. Disingenuously, the Jagdeo regime placed most of its ads with the state owned Guyana Chronicle and the state aligned Guyana Times. Very few people read these two papers and both have very little sales. As if that was not enough, Kaieteur News Owner and Publisher Glen Lall faced prosecution on tax-related charges. In addition, several lawsuits amounting to almost one billion dollars have been filed against Glenn Lall, Adam Harris and Kaieteur News by the former President, Bharat Jagdeo, the Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall, GRA Commissioner, Khursid Sattaur, the head of NICIL, Winston Brassington and Jagdeo’s best friend, Bobby Ramsaroop.
As an independent newspaper, Kaieteur News has adopted the “no-holds-barred” strategy in terms of reporting and has exposed corruption and other wrongdoings by politicians and other office bearers. Kaieteur News took the extraordinary step of releasing the recording of a conversation between its reporter, Leonard Gildarie and the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall. In the recording, the AG was heard issuing dire warnings of what sounded like impending physical attacks against the staff of Kaieteur News. In the most vulgar and obscene language ever heard by a Minister, the AG also urged the reporter to quit his job at Kaieteur News ahead of such attacks. He was also heard soliciting sex for his uncle from a female reporter. We believe that Mr. Nandlall had intended to say what he said in the 19 minute tape and perhaps was expressing the views of his colleagues at Freedom House. His claim that he is a Chatri Indian who is superior to Jagdeo, Brassington and Indians is an insult to all Hindus who should demand an apology and his resignation.
Now that such apparent threats have been made public, President Donald Ramotar’s government should have demanded the resignation of Mr. Nandlall instead of supporting him and denouncing the secret taping of the AG. The vile comments about the female reporter have degraded women in general. Not only the Guyanese people but the entire Caribbean region are waiting to hear the president make clear his total repudiation of the violent attacks, threatened or planned, against the staff of Kaieteur News by the AG. But knowing the PPP bullies who have on numerous occasions shown total disrespect for the Constitution and the people would continue to support wrong doings and in this case Mr. Nandlall. Such are the actions of a warped, devious, desperate and perverted individuals.
Asquith Rose and Harish Singh