Dear Editor,
Almost unnoticed, a little article headlined “Stabroek News to take over Guyana Review” (07.02.01) announced to the world the new publisher of the very prestigious monthly.
We now witness the death of journalistic excellence and truth initiated by former owner/publisher Guyanese David Granger. He has apparently sold the publication to Stabroek News. One of the first acts of the Stabroek News’ editor … under the prerogative of “new management” … has been to attempt to kill a Guyana Review article that has stood the test of time since its publication in 1999 (Guyana Review June 1999; “30,012 Gun Licences”; pages 31-32). The story is attached.
The article documented the astonishing effort to arm segments of the Guyanese population in violation of the safeguards of Guyana’s Firearms Act. In fact, the article cited its source as a former Minister of Home Affairs Mr Ronald Gajraj!
Local dailies apparently dared not question the GR story before now. The usually reticent Ethnic Relations Commission dared not confront the issue, and refused several invitations to use its constitutional mandate to ascertain the truth of the ethnic distribution of weaponry. In the final analysis, it was impossible to question Granger’s commitment to truth while he was at the helm of the Guyana Review!
But now, sadly, with Granger out of the way in an editor’s note to my letter captioned “Why were these two passages deleted from my letter?” (07.02.28) the Editor of the Stabroek News carefully makes the point that “not because it was published by another publication …” should such a significant story be considered true!
Again, the Editor of the Stabroek News is disagreeing with figures that a Minister of Home Affairs has readily attested to!
Is this the final destination of the Guyana Review … the garbage can of “another publication” polluting the local landscape? Have we just been tipped off?
The supreme irony, really, is that for stories far more trivial and mundane than this, the Editor of Stabroek News has in the past done the truly professional thing. He has shifted responsibility from himself to the appropriate authorities, requiring their response.
It would therefore have been refreshing to have read, after the letter of 07/02/28 the following Editorial Note: “We have sent a copy of the letters by Mr Williams to the Commissioner of Police and the Ethnic Relations Commission for their urgent investigation and response.”
And we had a right to expect a full investigation, and full disclosure, didn’t we?
After all, we do live in an egalitarian parliamentary democracy, don’t we?
Yours faithfully,
Roger Williams
Editor’s note
Mr David Granger asked us to take over the publication of the Guyana Review as he was unable to continue. We agreed as we considered it a quality product and we will keep it going as long as we can. There was no sale.
Our problem was not with the reference to the issue of gun licences but with the reference to “the indiscriminate arming of ethnic government supporters.”
