Dear Editor,
The private national media and Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI), along with local organisations like Red Thread have made statements condemning actions of Government leaders.
TIGI launched itself onto a bold bandwagon, and declared with emphatic arrogance that Minister Joseph Harmon engaged in corrupt behaviour in relation to the appointments of advisors.
Red Thread wants Minister of Social Protection Volda Lawrence fired for her hand in Winston Harding becoming a Councillor in Georgetown, because of Harding’s troubles around child sexual abuse.
We cannot solve the ongoing challenges facing our nation if we continue with these sanctimonious, self-righteous, holier-than-thou, judgmental condemnations of people who may offend us, or with whose actions we do not agree.
The Government of Guyana is the Government, elected in free and fair elections to govern the society. Whatever the flaws at the Elections Commission, the Guyanese society operates as a democracy, and that democracy grants the rights of governance for five years to the Government sworn into office.
Public opinion, the national media and activist organizations cannot exert governance by proxy through unnecessary public pressure on the State, so that the State becomes weak, and caves in every time an unpopular decision arises.
Minister Harmon chose to engage as an advisor, Mr Brian Tiwari, who, published information reveals, aided the Government in its electoral campaign. The two travelled together to China on State business. What’s wrong about that? An action itself cannot constitute corruption. Before TIGI and the media accuse Minister Harmon of corruption, they must show proof that corrupt practices took place.
How could Minister Lawrence’s role in Mr Harding’s candidacy for Local Government Elections as Councillor warrant Government firing her from her Ministerial post?
Mr Harding went to the electorate and won, when his story was public knowledge. Either the electoral system is flawed in allowing persons with questionable resumes to run for public office, or voters are dumb for electing such a person to high office. Whichever it is, why should Minister Lawrence face sanctions and criticisms for her political work?
Mr Harding is subjected to the laws of the land, and maybe we should learn from the case and strengthen our electoral laws, instead of scapegoating and lynching Minister Lawrence.
We must allow Government to govern, and to use the five years of their term of Office to make the decisions they see as best for the nation.
If Minister Harmon sees Mr Tiwari as an asset, why should that be a problem? With Mr Tiwari’s experience and know-how, this new Government may benefit, and thus the country as a whole.
If the watchdogs find concrete evidence of corruption, either from the actions of Minister Harmon or Mr Tiwari, lay the evidence out, and let the legal authority take appropriate action. But to subject the nation to baseless and subjective accusations, with no grounding in rationale, fact or objectivity, is unfair to the Guyanese nation.
Let’s focus on solutions to grow our economy. That’s what’s important now.
Persons and organizations embracing the power of a public voice, in this democratic nation, must act with strong professionalism and a keen sense of responsibility, with a sensitive nature to the psyche of the population, instead of jumping up in arrogant disdain to pronounce with emotional wrath on their own perception of what’s going on in the world.
In this vein, I raise the issue, which troubles me as a Journalist, of the Stabroek News potentially involved in serious conflict-of-interest and unprofessional journalistic ethics by paying former State auditor Anand Goolsarran as a columnist, and also Rawle Lucas, appointed Chairman of the Guyana Revenue Authority, as its Business Page czar.
When this writer took a contract with the Government of President Ramotar, the Editor-in-Chief of Stabroek News, Mr Anand Persaud, correctly and ethically pulled a column I was writing then for the newspaper. That’s what professional Journalism is: a total avoidance of any perception of the possibility of conflict-of-interest.
While we may be certain that the intention of both Dr Goolsarran and Mr Lucas would remain above board and professional and without ulterior motives, bias or prejudice, the ethics of the Journalism profession could be so easily violated in this case, and such a precedent could cause other personalities of lesser character and resolve and careful self-diligence, to find themselves in just such a tempting scenario.
The perception is what matters.
Given what we saw happen to the Government of President Donald Ramotar, even when he acted based on evidence to sanction three of his Ministers, how development got choked off under unfair and biased and really bad accusations – the Specialty Hospital, the Airport expansion, Amaila Hydro project come to mind – we must learn from our history, reform our behaviour, and foster a national spirit of sensibleness, professional public conduct, and rational fair-mindedness.
We the people must trust the Government of the land, whoever governs us democratically, and we must construct a national atmosphere of peace, mutual trust and understanding, with absolute focus on our socio-economic future.
Unless we act with deliberate effort at fostering a national atmosphere that is inspiring and motivational and solutions-oriented, we would not escape the history we’ve endured over the last 50 years.
Yours faithfully,
Shaun Michael Samaroo
Editor’s note: Mr Goolsarran does not receive a fee for his column. The columns of Messrs Goolsarran and Lucas do not pose a conflict of interest for Stabroek News.
