Dear Editor,
Of recent we have been hearing grumblings from government quarters about the kind of reporting coming out of the Simels’ trial in the United States of America. However, the Guyanese reporters there are really just reporting the event as it unfolds. This is exactly what journalists are supposed to do. Anything else would fall far short of the standards of professional journalism. Perhaps the government would want to consider sending its own reporters to cover the case. The public would then have the opportunity to compare the reports and make their own judgement. Surely, the government is not without the resources to do it.
In fact, I believe that the case is sufficiently significant to motivate all local media houses to send a capable reporter/journalist to cover it. It is a shame that some local media have the resources but refuse to utilize them to keep the public properly informed about this and many other cases affecting the image and progress of Guyana.
Remember the CLICO case? The media has dropped that like hot cakes. No one is doing any in-depth or investigative reporting. The public is consistently short-changed by the media here in Guyana. Our local media owners can do better.
Any media that is worth its salt would have set aside funds to report on this story because what Roger Khan, with the support of many in different strata of society, was able to achieve in this quiet country was never done by anyone else. He has made history in the negative sense, but history, nevertheless. And to think that all of this was happening before our very eyes is a great embarrassment to all of us. No wonder we are treated as having less than our worth by our Caribbean neighbours.
Finally, it would be a good thing if researchers at our local university could examine the alleged connection between such a criminal enterprise and government, and the impact of this on the state of governance in this country.
The fourth estate must act now to initiate accountability in the governance of this country.
Yours faithfully,
Christopher Williams
