Dear Editor,
During last week I received quite a few telephone calls from Americans seeking ‘my take’ on the Stabroek News ads withdrawal issue. Three of those calls were from quarters that matter here in the US – one from a Member of the US Congress, another from a top aide to a Senator and the third from the head of an influential private sector organization.
It is clear that many key figures in American political and economic life have been informed about this Stabroek News/Guyana Government ads withdrawal issue and some seem encouraged to do whatever they can to help resolve the issue.
While I fully understand and appreciate that we live in an interdependent global village and I am quite often resigned to the fact that sovereignty is somewhat a legal fiction these days, I still maintain a strong commitment to non-interference in the internal affairs of states, unless and until a situation has developed within a state that merits such interference. So when I received these calls I was somewhat in two minds as to whether I should give ‘my take’ to ‘foreigners’ who could most likely use their influence to seek a solution to this issue.
I lived in Washington, DC during the days when members of the US Congress threatened the cut off aid to Guyana in pursuit of free and fair elections.
As the Caribbean News Agency’s (CANA) Washington DC correspondent back then, I broke the news of the decision by the House Appropriations Committee to suspend US aid to the Hoyte administration. It was not easy for me as a Guyanese to interview committee aide Mark Murray as he waxed poetic about all of Guyana’s ills back then, as if his own country was free of any imperfections.
Conscious of the old days in Washington, DC and at the same time cognizant of the need for there to be an amicable resolution of this ads withdrawal issue, this is ‘my take’ as shared with those who called me:
“The Stabroek News is, and has always been a professionally run newspaper which was launched during the administration of Desmond Hoyte who had been accused of rigged elections, police brutality and even violations of press freedom. The opposition parties back then enjoyed access to the Stabroek News, often very critical of Hoyte, in some instances on issues such as his crime fighting tactics against ‘kick-down-the-door bandits’ and his re-introduction of the implementation of capital punishment. Hoyte, as far as I recall, never withdrew government advertising from Stabroek News. [Editor’s note: This newspaper did not get government advertisements from the PNC government at first; they were, however, given later.]
“Now that we have what you Americans wanted – a legitimately elected government committed to the democratic process, a situation has arisen whereby Stabroek News is claiming that government advertising has been withdrawn as a form of punishment for its editorial position on issues which expose government inefficiency, insensitivity, and in some cases, corruption.
The Government of Guy-ana, in turn, has explained that its decision is based purely on financial and cost-effectiveness considerations and is in no way an attempt to punish the newspaper or to curtail press freedom.
“I find it hard to accept that any advertiser would just one day discover that s/he is not getting enough ‘bang for his/her advertising buck’ and decide to remove all advertisements from a single newspaper, particularly one that attracts a diverse readership. As a journalist myself I am very concerned about this development and hope a solution is found soon. I am sure that the Stabroek News would be encouraged by your interest in this matter and you may want to speak with both the Stabroek News and the Guyana Embassy about this matter. In the meantime, however, I would suggest you hold off any public pronouncements on this matter, especially comments suggesting the possibility of any sanctions against the Guyana government.”
Back in the 1980s, Hoyte’s response was that Guyana was not for sale, and even if it were, it would not be for the few million dollars in aid the country received from the US. Years earlier, following some reported comments by Ronald Reagan to Burnham at the Cancun Summit, Burnham told the New York Times in essence that America could go to hell and if Guyana as a country were to perish, we are a nation of less than a million people and wouldn’t be a public humbug to anyone. Both these statements, in my view were unnecessary. It is my hope that President Jagdeo will, if the need ever arises, be more careful than his predecessors in responding to any American comments on the Stabroek News issue. This is not the 1980s. Indeed sovereignty has somewhat become legal fiction. Roger Khan is indisputable testimony.
In sum, I hope this issue could be resolved without any outside governmental interference. We Guyanese cannot endure any more insults – whether based on fact or fiction. Perhaps President Jagdeo and Mr de Caires can meet ‘in-camera,’ air their concerns and go on doing what each should be doing, one seeking to run the country effectively and the other seeking to ensure that the country is effectively run.
Yours faithfully,
Wesley Kirton
