Submitted by the Caribbean Institute for Democracy
Mr. Adam Harris
Editor
Kaieteur Newspaper
Georgetown, Guyana.
Dear Adam:
I must again take issue you Mr. Adam Harris, Editor of the Kaieteur Newspaper.
It has not been lost on me that Kaieteur News apparently deliberately edited my letter to the press, which you published in yesterday’s edition (Dec 8), to make it appear unintelligible as well as an attack on the PNC, as a party, as opposed to a rebuke of Robert Corbin’s undemocratic and vindictive politics. All of CGID’s correspondences are reviewed by a team of legal professionals. Hence, our correspondences, we think, are libel and slander proof. A reasonable conclusion therefore is that your edits were not for the latter purpose but merely political.
KN removed my criticism of President Jagdeo. You also removed my criticisms of Corbin and, like the following paragraph, inserted the name of the PNC instead, when clearly the intent of my contentions was condemnatory of Corbin himself. Example: You published that: “CGID believes that the recall of James McAllister provides a keen insight into the PNC‘s domineering approach to governing and antipathy for democratic values. No party with such mentality must ever again be entrusted with governing Guyana.”
This paragraph of my actual letter stated that “CGID believes that the recall of James McAllister provides a keen insight into the PNC leader’s domineering approach to governing and his antipathy for democratic values. No one with such mentality must ever again be entrusted with the Presidency of Guyana, which Mr. Corbin sought against President Bharrat Jagdeo in the 2006 general election but lost. Both of them have these same dictatorial tendencies.”
As can be unambiguously discerned, the above comment is not my opinion of the PNC but of it’s leader. But your readers would never know this. This is dangerous and dishonest. Your colleagues have said to me, that your intention is to portray me in a certain light. While this appears to be true, it doesn’t concern me one bit. That was a fait accompli long before now, through your prior attacks on me without publishing my responses. But you know that I could care less about that. What I do care about, however, is the truth – It will set you free!
I don’t know what game you and/or KN is trying to play but it is objectionable and unprofessional. I would have rather KN not published my letter than deliberately publish a distorted version, which is basically your own view. You actually do not need to express your view through me. You might do so through your column, under your own name. That would be welcome change.
Rickford Burke
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