Dear Editor,
In a recent article published by the Stabroek News (April 20) carrying the headline ‘Masakenari hooked up to internet’, it was stated that “Masakenari, a Wai Wai village in the deep south of Guyana now has an internet connection after complaining about the difficulty in communicating with the rest of the country”.
Contrary to this assertion, the Wai Wai village had obtained access to an internet connection by 2012. This resulted from a management plan developed in 2007 between Konashen and the former government, with the support of Conservation International, when part of the village’s titled land was declared a protected area.
The then government had provided both IT equipment and internet access to Konashen. Subsequently, it is difficult to believe that the “people have been complaining about the difficulty in communicating with the rest of the country”, considering that members of the village, including Toshao Paul Chekema himself, are available daily on Internet communication outlets.
Subsequently, for the benefit of your readers and for the sake of providing quality information, it is advised that all material sourced from other news sources, in particular state run media, are verified before carried for publication.
Yours faithfully,
Anna Correia
