Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Chronicle Keith Burrowes is defending the newspaper’s publication of a letter sympathetic to the views expressed in its July 2, 2012 editorial, which was branded “racist” and “inflammatory.”
Burrowes told Stabroek News that unless a letter is libellous, it is unlikely that the newspaper would choose not to publish it.
The letter, which appeared in the July 11, 2012 edition of the Guyana Chronicle, was written by Jason Abdulla and it endorsed many of the sentiments in the editorial which had been written by Parvati Persaud-Edwards. The editorial has been condemned by several segments of society, including the Justice and Peace Commission of the Roman Catholic Church and the Working People’s Alliance.
In the letter, Abdulla said that while he did not agree with certain aspects of the editorial, some aspects were “haunting for some.” He added that the author of the Chronicle editorial merely sought to hold accountable those who tried to destroy the lives of some of our youths by brainwashing them with racist and extremist misinformation.
Abdulla wrote: “There is no doubt that the editorial could have been better written and my impression is that the writer was trying to articulate the repercussions of the actions of certain individuals in our not so distant past and the effects it is having on people’s psyche, irrespective of one’s race. The genesis of this takes us back to a carefully orchestrated plan by a group of individuals who had political power in mind and decided to use whatever means they could to achieve their desire…”
Burrowes told Stabroek News yesterday that the Chronicle Board and shareholders had a meeting last Friday regarding the editorial that appeared in the Guyana Chronicle on July 2.
He said that when he penned an apology, which was carried in that newspaper subsequently, he had overlooked the fact that Persaud-Edwards was not on staff but is employed on a freelance basis with the newspaper.
He said that the editor on duty at the time should have ensured that the editorial was not carried as it was.
This newspaper understands that the editor who oversaw the publication of the editorial was suspended, while Persaud-Edwards would no longer be allowed to contribute editorials to the newspaper.
Notwithstanding the sanction, Persaud-Edwards continues to have articles published in the newspaper, and when asked about this, Burrowes confirmed that she was still contributing news articles on a freelance basis. He gave no indication that this would be stopped.
Burrowes, however, did say that the Chronicle is in need of stronger management. “With a strong CEO, half of the Chronicle’s problems would be solved,” he declared.
Further, he lashed out at those who have been writing letters in the press suggesting that the Guyana Chronicle benefits from state funds and said this was not the case.
He pointed to initiatives that have been taken by the company with his guidance as Chairman that has seen a turnaround in the company’s bottom line over the years.
